《The Wandering Swordsman》 Chapter 1 Most people think love is the biggest motivator but Didrik knew best. Boredom is the true biggest motivator. True boredom drives you into a state where you pour your heart and soul into anything you do. It makes you eager for the most menial of tasks otherwise it¡¯ll throw you into the pit of insanity. When he first heard he¡¯d have a nine month vacation, Didrik thought he had hit the jackpot. Nine months of playing video games, reading books and hanging out with friends didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea. The only problem is that games, books and friends¡¯ vacation have an end. ¡°Oh! C¡¯mon!¡± His scream resounded throughout the empty apartment, ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± He had been trying to read another of the books he had picked at random in the library, ¡°Such a predictable plot, shallow characters and it sounds like it was written by a twelve year old girl.¡± ¡®Talking to myself must not be a good sign...¡¯ He was going mad from the boredom. It had all began a few weeks back. His university entrance exams results had arrived and he discovered he had been accepted with a full scholarship into his dream university. However, there was a catch. All classes had been filled and he was told to start at the beginning of the next term. That meant that, instead of the customary three months vacation, he¡¯d have an extra semester. Didrik threw the book to the side and rose from his bed. He looked himself in the mirror. His short, dark hair was still in place despite him being laying on his bed for the past hours. His eyes seemed puffed from the amount of extra sleep he had been getting and he realized the extra weight he had put on in the celebratory weeks were still there. Those weeks hadn¡¯t been bad. All his friends had been at the end of their vacations and they had gone out every night to every kind of party they could. It was a point of pride to him that he hadn¡¯t spent a single night sober or asleep those weeks. ¡®At least its something to do.¡¯ He thought thankfully, patting his barely protruding belly. He picked up a shirt, put on some sneakers, grabbed his earplugs and headed to the gym. The last few weeks his routine had been composed of playing games, reading books and going to the gym. It was as awesome as he expected. That was until he ran out of games, the books he read got increasingly worse and gym became just a bunch of repetitions with the sole purpose of making him sore. Still, those were the only things that could keep him from going mad from the boredom. ¡®Ah, ha, ha, ha. Staying alive, staying alive.¡¯ The classic Bee gees song played as he returned home from the workout. His friends liked to say he had an old man¡¯s taste for music. He simply assumed he had a good taste for it. When he got home, his parents had arrived for lunch, as he expected. ¡°Hey Dri!¡± His father greeted him, ¡°How was your morning?¡± ¡°Boring!¡± Didrik answered, ¡°There is nothing to do.¡± Didrik¡¯s father, Kevin, had the most bad guy appearance you can imagine. He was tall, bald and had a face that always seemed to be irritated, which didn¡¯t make him very popular with small kids. However, he was the kindest, most wise person imaginable, making friends with everyone he met. To Didrik and many others he was a hero and an example to follow. ¡°Go take a shower and come help me with lunch.¡± His mother told him. Helen was Didrik¡¯s image of the perfect woman. She was accomplished at her job, being known for implementing the best cancer combat and prevention system in the country. At a daily basis, she had to deal with bureaucrats, doctors, hospital directors, politicians¡­ After all that, she would still get home with a smile. ¡°M¡¯kay mom!¡± ***** After lunch Didrik went to his room and turned on his laptop. When he ran out of things to do, he usually went online to talk to friends or watch videos. However, that day he had another objective. He was searching for a MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) to waste his time playing. You must understand that, being a fanatic for good stories, Didrik avoided MMOs unless he was playing with a group of friends. MMOs have the tendency of having shallow plots and low immersion, making him lose interest after a few hours playing. But now he was desperate to the point of ignoring even that. All for the sake of a few hours without feeling he¡¯d go mad for the lack of things to do. He had just begun crossing a few names from the long list when his father knocked on the door. ¡°Hey!¡± His father said as he opened the door, ¡°What you up to?¡± ¡°Nothing, to be honest. Trying to find something to do with all this free time.¡± Kevin sat on Didrik¡¯s bed. ¡°Games?¡± He said as he saw the screen. ¡°Yup.¡± Didrik confirmed, ¡°Nothing good though.¡± Kevin had once been a gamer, taking the young Didrik through most of the classics. That was until the fated night. Didrik had only been six, but he could still remember it. His father spend hours trying to land the airplane on the SNES game Wing commander. It seemed impossible but, after a full night of attempts, he managed to land it perfectly. That achievement marked the last time he had played a video game. ¡°Anyway.¡± He said dismissively, ¡°I came to ask you about your present. Have you decided what you want?¡± Didrik sighed. His father was set into giving him a car for entering university. He knew it was his way of telling him he did well, but he couldn¡¯t accept the waste of money. Many of his friends would kill him if they knew he thought that, but he had no need for it. He would live near the campus and the car would end up gathering dust. ¡°I told you already.¡± Didrik said annoyed, ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m okay.¡± Kevin scratched his chin and stayed quiet for a while. Thinking that was a cue, Didrik faced his computer again and started going through the list. He clicked a link and another page opened, and with it, a giant ad. ¡°Oh!¡± Didrik¡¯s father exclaimed looking at the ad, ¡°Royal Road! You¡¯ve always wanted to play that game. How about a capsule?¡± Ahh...Royal Road. Since seven years ago, when it was launched, Didrik dreamt of playing it. A full dive virtual reality. A game where you could see, touch, smell, hear and taste. The perfect new world. The race for becoming the emperor had already ended, but everyone still played it. The game that had changed game industry forever. Didrik could still remember how fascinated he was when he first heard of it. He was eleven at the time, and an ad on the TV showed a group of people using magic and swords to battle a horde of monsters. It was one of the things he could never forget. Of course he had thought about asking his father a capsule during those years. But even after seven years in the market, a single capsule was worth almost as much as a car. Living in Brazil had its perks, but electronics had always been expensive to the point of absurdity. ¡°Nah...¡± Didrik answered as soon as he realized he had been daydreaming and left his father waiting for the answer, ¡°It¡¯s just another waste of money.¡± His father stood up and started going to the door. ¡°Well.¡± Kevin said with a smile, ¡°If you change your mind, you just have to to ask.¡± ***** Didrik couldn¡¯t find a single MMO that could peak his interest. Daydreaming about Royal road always made him excited and disappointed. The thought of playing it was thrilling. He imagined all adventures he could have playing that game. Even now after seven years, hundreds of new players joined in an daily basis. Even older people had joined, which was impressive seeing most had no gaming habits. For him that all remained in his imagination. He wouldn¡¯t ask his father to spend that much money in a video game, doesn¡¯t matter how awesome it sounded. He gave up on finding a game and got his basketball to practice a bit. The next 3 hours he spend running around by himself, training shots, layups and everything he could to busy himself. After that, he went back home and went for a shower. As soon as he left the shower, the telephone rang. ¡°Dri!¡± He recognized his mother¡¯s voice, ¡°Your father is in the garage, and he needs your help with something.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Didrik went to the garage to help his father wondering what that was about. When he got there, Kevin was trying to take a huge box out of the back of the pickup truck. Without hesitating Didrik went to his father. ¡°What is that?¡± Didrik asked as he reached the back of the truck. ¡°This,¡± Kevin stopped trying to pull it and faced his son, ¡°Is your gift.¡± Didrik opened his mouth to say something but Kevin cut him off, ¡°I know you said you didn¡¯t want it, but I wanted to give you something. Since you didn¡¯t pick what you wanted, I chose your gift myself. So, congratulations son.¡± Didrik suddenly hugged his dad. ¡°Thank you, pop.¡± He released his father, ¡°What is it, anyway?¡± ¡°Look for yourself.¡± Didrik got on the back of the truck and looked at the huge wooden box. It was taller than him by ten or fifteen centimeters. It was also wider, around eighty centimeters by sixty centimeters. He had no idea what it was until he saw the symbol on the side. It was Unicorn Corp logo. He had just won his VR capsule. From then, it was a battle to carry it to the elevator and setting it up in his bedroom. The whole process took a few hours of reading manual and triple checking if he had done it all correctly. He turned it on and the integrity verification process started.
Verification process 2%
Since that seemed it would take a while, he went to prepare a dinner for his family. His cooking was quite good and it was something he enjoyed doing. It was also a small way of saying thanks to his parents. Two hours later he returned to his room and saw the blinking green light announcing the end of the verification process. Excitement began bubbling inside his chest and a grin spread on his face at the prospect of an adventure. The game manual sat on his bed, opened on the installation topic. He knew it covered all basics like commands, interface and such. But with the adventure dangling teasingly in front of him, wasting time learning commands wasn¡¯t something he could do. ***** There is something one must experience the virtual world to fully understand it. You can never know how it feels to be inside it. It¡¯s expected to feel differently. To have your vision, tact, sense of smell, sense of taste or hearing affected somewhat. But what strikes the most, is that there¡¯s no difference at all. That took Didrik by surprise. He always thought it would be different. That there would be a telling that he was in the virtual world. There wasn¡¯t. Every inch of this world felt the same as the real one. Had it not been for the infinite white plains that stretched as far as his eyes could see, he wouldn¡¯t be able to differentiate it. ¡°The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?¡± A female voice said. Its sound was clearer than anything he had ever heard and it had no point of origin. The voice came from all around him. A sci-fi like hologram appeared in front of Didrix. On the left side, a window showing him a real size representation of himself. On the right side, a map of Versailles continent. It showed everything from the snow covered north to the desertic plain at the south. ¡°Yes!¡± Didrix answered the voice he knew belonged to the famous AI that managed Royal Road. ¡°Select the name of your avatar.¡± That was a difficult question. Names tell a lot about a person. But the name a person chooses says a lot more. Its like a one word definition he¡¯d be giving himself. Even more important, that would be the name he¡¯d be called in this new world. ¡®Names are important...¡¯ That simple thought reminded him a book. One of his favorites. A book he could relate to the main character, not because he was smart, powerful or omnipotent, but because he had flaws. It reminded him that it didn¡¯t matter how legendary a human might be, it¡¯d still be a human. That would be a good name. ¡°Kvothe.¡± Didrix said with certainty, ¡°I choose the name Kvothe.¡± ¡°Select your gender from male, female or neutral.¡± ¡°Erm...¡± The fact that people had that option sent shivers up his spine, ¡°Male!¡± A smaller holographic window appeared in front of him. It had a list with all of the races that he was able to chose in Royal Road. ¡®Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race...¡¯ The voice started, but he was already browsing through the races, evaluating advantages and disadvantages of each. He still had no idea which kind of playing style he would go for. Usually he would go for something balanced, where he could play by himself. Something like a warrior or ranger. On the other hand, magic sounded like something really cool to try out. Every race had its charm, trying to lure him into choosing it. Some had bigger strength. Some could handle magic better. Some just looked really awesome. It was a tough choice. On the face of such a difficult choice, he saw he had only one option. He placed his finger over the list and scrolled it as fast as he could. The list began spinning in a blur impossible to distinguish. Didrix closed his eyes and placed his finger over the list, stopping it to a halt. ¡°You have selected the human race.¡± The AI confirmed the selection, ¡°You may alter your appearance however you like.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡®As always¡­ Lady luck isn¡¯t on my side.¡¯ Didrix looked at his holographic representation and started thinking on how he could change it. Like everyone else, he would always think of ways he could enhance himself when facing a mirror. Reduce the number of freckles. Make the nose less pointy. But now that he had the chance of changing it, he felt as if those were what gave him his identity. ¡°I don¡¯t want any changes.¡± He told the AI, ¡°Make me the way I am.¡± ¡°Select a city and kingdom you want to start.¡± Suddenly the map began glowing with multiple lights. All the cities and kingdoms he could choose as starting point of his adventure marked on it, glowing with unique colours. The famous cities and kingdoms were all there. Rosenheim, Morata, Kallamore¡­ Another difficult choice. ¡°Random.¡± ¡°Welcome to Royal Road¡± The AI followed with a series of basic explanations that Didrix¡­ Kvothe promptly skipped. He had been waiting to play that game for far too long. Seven years is a long wait for a hyper kid and, despite growing up a lot in that time, there was some of that kid left. A sudden white light engulfed Kvothe, momentarily blinding and disorienting him. Even before his vision returned, he knew he wasn¡¯t in that endless white plains anymore. A putrid smell filled his nose. A smell so terrible it nauseated him. It was similar to the smell of a dead animal, left by the road, after days exposed to sun and rain, starting to decompose. His vision returned and he looked around. It was everything the smell indicated it would be. Kvothe found himself in the middle of a city, he could say with certainty, that had once been beautiful. He was in the middle of an enormous plaza that split the town in eight, like a compass rose. In its center stood a marble fountain, filled with masterfully sculpted statues, worthy of being called a historic monument for its majestic presence. Aside from the fountain, many other artworks were displayed there. Unfortunately, all of it was hidden beneath decades of filth and lack of maintenance. ¡°What the..¡± He trailed off. A pillar of light appeared on Kvothe¡¯s left and a player emerged. Immediately a group of people flocked over the man, screaming. ¡°Give me some money, please!¡± ¡°I need food! Give me food!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll accept any spare items!¡± All around the plaza, beggars made camp waiting for wealthy players to appear. It was a terrifying scene, the number of people begging for copper was overwhelming. Taking advantage of the distraction the other player offered, Kvothe left the plaza, heading for big wall that divided the city from the outer world. It was time to begin his long awaited adventure. The walk to the wall wasn¡¯t long or unpleasant. The closer he got to it, the less it smelled like a dump and people looked less miserable. A few of the stores seemed like good places to buy clothes, art or whatever it was they were selling. The number of shops was something he didn¡¯t expect and everywhere he looked, he saw artisans selling their goods. ¡°Excuse me.¡± He approached a man that tried to sell jewelry, ¡°Which city is this?¡± The man looked at him as if Kvothe was crazy. ¡°You don¡¯t know which city you¡¯re in?¡± Kvothe nodded. ¡°This is the magnificent city of artists.¡± The man said opening his arms and giving a smile with a bit of crazy in it, ¡°Welcome to Rhodium. Would you like to buy some jewelry?¡± ***** ¡°Next!¡± It was finally Kvothe¡¯s turn. He had been waiting in line for the past thirty minutes but now was his turn. After this, he would hopefully be able to leave the city and fight some monsters or go on a journey. All he needed was to talk to the chief of guard to receive his authorization and he¡¯d be done with this city. At least that is what the guards at the gate had told him. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± The huge chief of guard said without taking his eyes of the documents he was reading. ¡°Good morning.¡± Kvothe started, ¡°I¡¯m here to request the authorization to exit the city.¡± The man looked at Kvothe for the first time. He opened one of the drawers from his desk, took out a paper and gave it to Kvothe. ¡°Here. Fill this form.¡± Kvothe took the paper and using a feather he answered all the questions in the form as quickly as he could. He was amazed with the thought put into the game. Writing with pen and ink was something he never thought he¡¯d do. It was also hard, and he had to ask for three other forms before having one that was readable. ¡°Here it is.¡± Kvothe said returning the filled form, ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took so long.¡± ¡°No need to apologize.¡± The man gave him a gentle smile that felt wrong in his huge frame, ¡°You can return in four weeks and we¡¯ll have your authorization ready.¡± ¡°Thanks. Wait¡­¡± Kvothe trailed off, ¡°Did you say four weeks?!¡± ¡°Yes. That is the time it usually takes.¡± It finally dawned on him what that was about. In Royal road, the first four weeks of the player are limited to the starting city. Kvothe remembered watching an interview of the developers where they explained the reason for that time. They expected the players to use that time to learn how to fight and to get used to the game mechanics. Unfortunately, most ignored the basic training and tried to gather money and items instead. ¡°What should I do with these four weeks...¡± He was talking to himself, but the chief of guard heard him. ¡°If I may...¡± The chief said, ¡°On the west side of the town there¡¯s a training hall. There¡¯s a man there that goes by the name of Cain. He¡¯s one of the strongest swordsman I¡¯ve ever met. You seem like someone who could become a good swordsman.¡± Kvothe gave the chief another look. The man was really huge, but not only that, he was pure muscle. Think a young Arnold Schwarzenegger kind of guy. He didn¡¯t expect the guy to lose in a strength contest against a bear. Yet, he said there was a stronger man than him in that same town. One that could teach him. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll certainly take a look.¡± ***** After walking all around the city, Kvothe finally reached the training hall. It shone like a diamond in the middle of the the dirty surroundings. Don¡¯t be mistaken, it wasn¡¯t any more than a small two stories building with a few scarecrows and some open space for sparring. However, the care it received made it shine amidst the poor maintained neighbour houses and shops. Kvothe approached the thin doorman that was sitting with his feet up and sculpting a small wood piece. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m here...¡± ¡°You can go inside, get the sword and hit the scarecrow to your heart¡¯s content.¡± The man cut him off in a mechanical answer, ¡°Just let me be.¡± A flare of anger started rising but Kvothe suppressed it. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m here to learn from the sword instructor.¡± Kvothe looked around trying to find someone else, ¡°Do you know where he is?¡± The man quickly rose to his feet and extended his hand, giving Kvothe a creepy smile. ¡°You¡¯re talking to him, actually.¡± Kvothe looked the man from head to toe. There was no way that man was the one the chief recommended him to talk to. He was tall, maybe a few centimeters taller than Kvothe, but he was skinny. He was also all raggedy in his old clothes. He shook the man¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the person I was sent to meet.¡± The man¡¯s handshake tightened and a vein popped on his head, throbbing menacingly, but he kept on a fake smile. It seems this happened a lot to him. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m the only instructor here.¡± The annoyance of the man was audible in his speech. Kvothe looked at the man but couldn¡¯t see how he could be one of the strongest swordsman the chief had ever seen. He knew not to judge a book by its cover but... ¡°Forget it.¡± Kvothe said dismissively, ¡°I thought you¡¯d be strong, since the chief said it, but it seems the chief is just another weakling.¡± He turned and started walking until a hand held his shoulder firmly. Kvothe turned his head to find the red face of the instructor close to him. The vein that was throbbing before was now so big it could be seen from miles. ¡°Wait there!¡± The thin man said, his voice filled with anger ¡°You think you can come here, call me a weakling and face no consequences?¡± ¡®Wow! I knew it¡¯d be effective, but he is really pissed...¡¯ ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± Kvothe said mockingly, ¡°Make me watch you finish that ugly statue hoping I die from boredom?¡± He jerked his shoulder to make the other man release it, ¡°Excuse me. I have things to do.¡± He started leaving when heard a cracking sound and turned to look the man once again. The statue in the man¡¯s hand was in smithereens, something Kvothe didn¡¯t expect to happen to what seemed like a solid block of wood. ¡°You and me.¡± The man¡¯s voice was now spewing poison from all the rage, ¡°Second floor, now.¡± He turned to the entrance and started walking inside. Kvothe followed, trying to suppress a smirk. On the way to the second floor¡¯s stairs, the man picked up two wooden training swords and kept going. They reached the second floor. It was basically the same as the floor below, but the number of scarecrows was smaller and the space for sparring bigger. The man stopped inside the biggest of the sparring areas and threw one of the swords at Kvothe, who took it easily. He looked at the sword and threw it aside. ¡°I told you I was here to learn.¡± Kvothe said matter of factly, ¡°If I knew how to use a sword, why would I have come here?¡± ¡°I was just trying to give you a chance to survive.¡± The man said removing his coat, ¡°But if you¡¯ll discard it willingly, I can¡¯t be blamed for your death.¡± Kvothe gulped. Not at the man¡¯s threat, but at what was below the coat. The man wasn¡¯t thin, not by far. His arms were covered in muscles and scars. He was definitely the kind of person that spent his whole life training and had the body to show it. ¡®Too late to regret it now.¡¯ Without a word, the swordsman fell into a fighting stance. Sword in front, body sideways. Perfect for one handed sword styles. It reduced the visible area and allowed the use of the blade for defence. It also reduced the enemy¡¯s depth perception, by adding a layer - the sword - between them. ¡®Let¡¯s see how rusted I got in four years...¡¯ Kvothe also fell into fighting stance. Body sideways, hands low. Tae-kwon-do¡¯s basic stance. He spread his feet a bit for better balance and took his heels of the ground. Then, he waited. Time started to go on slowly, as Kvothe adrenaline rose from the anticipation. His senses started growing sharper, all his focus was on his adversary. He could hear the curtains flapping behind him. He could see the drops of sweat rolling on the man¡¯s face. He could feel the vibrations on the floor through his feet. Then time sped up. The wooden sword came in on a diagonal downward slash. Kvothe was barely able to avoid it and was forced to sway back and rotate in his pivot leg. The instructor was faster and sword movements were harder to detect than he expected. From the endpoint of the movement, the man stepped in and made an slash aiming at Kvothe¡¯s head. Kvothe ducked under the sword¡¯s path and used that movement to get closer and made a reverse kick at the man¡¯s head, grazing his face slightly. Surprised, the man back stepped, touching his face where the kick had grazed it. ¡°Was that all?¡± Kvothe smiled a mockingly, ¡°And to think you¡¯ve even made me worry for a bit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± A smile appeared in the corner of the man¡¯s mouth, ¡°It seems I¡¯ve underestimated you a bit too much.¡± The instructor took a deep breath and the throbbing vein disappeared. His eyes became focused and his glare deadly. He was now battle ready. Kvothe¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡®Now is time to see what you¡¯re really capable of.¡¯ ***** The fight was over. Kvothe laid on the floor strengthless. He tried moving a finger, but it didn¡¯t respond. He could barely keep his head up. His life points were so low he could barely see the red tinted bar that represented it. A crazy, maniacal laugh come from him. A laugh worth of a mad man. ¡°Are you alright?¡± A shadow towering over Kvothe asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Kvothe stopped laughing, ¡°I¡¯m just surprised at how strong you are.¡± The man leaned on his sword and looked at Kvothe. ¡°So you really were baiting me...¡± He trailed off. ¡°I apologize for that.¡± Kvothe said truthfully, ¡°That was the only way to see if you were as good as people say you are.¡± They stood quiet for a while then Kvothe added, ¡°I must say you¡¯re even better than they think.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­ I guess.¡± The man answered awkwardly, ¡°You¡¯re not bad yourself.¡± ¡°So...¡± Kvothe trailed off awkwardly, ¡°Will you teach me?¡± Silence once again filled the room as the instructor looked at Kvothe quizzically. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± The man asked Kvothe, who just nodded affirmatively, ¡°Why do you want to learn swordsmanship? You obviously don¡¯t need it.¡± Kvothe didn¡¯t expect that question, so he had to think about it. He could give the proper answer and say he wanted power to protect the people. He could say he wanted to be the hero the people needed but that wouldn¡¯t be the truth. He actually had no reason to learn it. He simply wanted to, because he thought it might be cool. ¡°I actually don¡¯t know.¡± Kvothe answered, ¡°I just thought it might be fun.¡± The sword master started walking to the exit and Kvothe could swear he was smiling. ¡°Ok!¡± The man said while leaving the room, ¡°I will teach you.¡± Spoiler : Yeah...I know... A lot was changed. The core of the story won''t change, but I might be adding more stuff. Thanks to everyone who helped with this in any way. :D Chapter 02 - The Whistling Sword I''m aware of the low quality and roughness of this work. I plan on rewriting it, however it won''t happen until the end of first Arc. ? Chapter 01 Twenty minutes had already passed and Kvothe still remained on the floor of the training hall. ¡°That damn instructor must be toying with me.¡± He had regained the arms movement, but his health bar wasn¡¯t refilling the way it should. So all he could do was flail his arms angrily and think of ways to get back at the master. At least this time, he had no audience to laugh at him . ¡°You should try eating.¡± Said a girly voice. Kvothe looked up and saw her, a light brown haired girl wearing simple shirt and skirt. Despite being all dirty and wearing simple clothing, she was cute. The kind of cute that doesn¡¯t stand out but is extremely attractive. She was probably one of those beggars who stayed at the central fountain. ¡°Thanks...erm..¡± ¡°Oh! You can call me Asha.¡± She said with a bright smile. ¡°Thanks Asha, but I¡¯ve got no money to give you.¡± Kvothe said apologetically. ¡°And you should also be mindful of where you¡¯re standing if you¡¯re wearing a skirt.¡± The girl¡¯s face became red. She quickly moved to a place further from his head. ¡°Now I feel bad.¡± The girl said ¡°I¡¯ve given you a free show and won¡¯t get a single copper.¡± Both of them laughed really hard. From how red she had became, Kvothe never thought she¡¯d make a joke like that. He had the feeling they¡¯d get along well. He liked people who could make jokes, especially of themselves. That usually showed they had a good sense of humor. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m Kvothe.¡± He introduced himself. ¡°What were you saying about eating?¡± ¡°Right! You¡¯re probably hungry. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t move and your health isn¡¯t regenerating.¡± ¡°Oh! Didn¡¯t knew there was something like that...¡± He said a bit ashamed. Sometimes his eagerness took the best of him. And that made him feel as ashamed as if he had soiled his underwear. ¡°Let me guess. You were too excited and totally disregarded the manual¡± Her sharpness shocked him. How could she know exactly what happened with a simple glance? ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s a common thing.¡± She tried to reassure him. ¡°I¡¯ve even seen a few blockheads dying from hunger.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me feel less idiotic, but thanks for trying.¡± said a sour faced Kvothe, ¡°Inventory window.¡± At his command, a floating panel appeared in front of him. It was composed by a grid of empty squares, except for two. The first had a water bottle, and the other 10 pieces of rye bread. Now that he thought about it, something about satiety was explained during the tutorial. He should have payed attention but was too busy testing his virtual body. He took one of the bread from his inventory and took a bite. The moisture in his mouth was immediately sucked by the bread. It wasn¡¯t the fresh bread he expected, but stale and dry. Desperate, he took the bottle out and used the water to force the bread down his throat. ¡°What the...What¡¯s this shitty thing?!¡± He asked the girl who was again laughing at his expense. ¡°Is this really edible?¡± ¡°Yes. But that¡¯s the cheapest food in Royal Road. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad actually.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± He wondered what kind of food she was used to eating. ¡°Well...at least it¡¯ll keep me alive until I get the money to buy proper food.¡± He forced himself to eat the whole thing. After no time, his health bar had gone above 10% and he could move properly again. He got up and decided to introduce himself like an educated person should, so he extended his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Asha. Thanks for the help.¡± She took his hand and shook it. ¡°Nice to meet you to Mister Kvothe, though I wonder why such sudden formality after you¡¯ve even seen my panties.¡± Kvothe had to suppress a laugh, but he didn¡¯t intended to lose in a battle of wits. ¡°My mom always says we should introduce ourselves properly.¡± He said with an exaggerated smile. ¡°Even when the person in question is a pervert.¡± ¡°A pervert?¡± She glared at him feigning disgust. ¡°I should give you a beating for that. But I¡¯m a proper lady, and ladies should be composed at all times.¡± That was too much for him. He laughed until he couldn¡¯t breath properly. ¡°I give up! I¡¯m no match for you.¡± Kvothe said to the girl. ¡°A match?! You weren¡¯t even a player to begin with.¡± Asha said with an air of disdain. Kvothe glared at her and she laughed. He thought about a few retorts for that, but it was already a lost cause. She had beaten him this time. The girl¡¯s personality spiked his interest. Usually girls were shy with him at first, mainly because of his bad guy face. Someone who could make jokes with him at first encounter without him making any effort to break the ice was a relief. ¡°I was wondering...¡± Kvothe¡¯s curious nature made him say. ¡°Why would someone like yourself come to an empty floor in the training hall?¡± ¡°Oh yeah! I was talking to Cain and...¡± ¡°Talking to whom?¡± Kvothe interrupted. ¡°Cain...You know, the training hall NPC.¡± She answered. ¡°Anyway. He said he had met an interesting pup - his words exactly. Since I¡¯d never seen him take interest for a player, I decided to come and check for myself.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°But it seems that person is already gone. Did you met him by any chance?¡± ¡°Very funny.¡± Kvothe glared at her. ¡°I was after someone to teach me how to use a sword properly and thought that he could be quite capable since he¡¯s the training hall instructor.¡± ¡°Of course he¡¯s capable. After all, he¡¯s the . He won the last three swordsman tournament in Rhodium. Even got himself a knight title.¡± ¡°What?! I had no idea he was that strong...¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Asha was once again surprised. ¡°Why did you choose him then? He doesn¡¯t look like a strong guy to me.¡± ¡°I had a hunch.¡± Kvothe said simply. ¡°Whatever...¡± Asha said dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in how you made him accept you as a disciple.¡± ¡°We had a battle of wits and I¡¯ve beaten him.¡± He said with a mocking smile. Asha gave him a look of someone that didn¡¯t enjoy the food on the table. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve pissed him off and got into a fight with him.¡± Kvothe told her. ¡°That explains how you ended up on the floor. But how did you convinced him to train you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. We fought for like¡­ Five minutes. After that I was beaten to a pulp. Then I asked if he could teach me and he said yes.¡± ¡°Wait...You¡¯ve fought with him for five minutes? Haven¡¯t you just begun playing?! You should have gone down with one hit.¡± ¡°But I was down with a hit, it just took him five minutes to get a good one in.¡± ¡°I see why he took interest in you.¡± She couldn¡¯t hide that she thought that was impressive. ¡°Are you some kind of martial artist to be able to do something like that?¡± ¡°Kind of¡­ I mean¡­ I¡¯ve learnt a few basic stuff from various fighting styles. If that makes me a martial artist then yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird. Cain should be at least level 200.¡± Asha said. ¡°There¡¯s no way you should be able to make him fight for five whole minutes.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t serious.¡± Kvothe said. ¡°Or I¡¯d probably be dead right now. I¡¯m not even sure how I¡¯ve survived that single hit of his.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a cheater, right?!¡± She said with an innocent face. ¡°No...Nothing like that. It¡¯s just that in the game I can move much better and my reactions are faster than real life as well.¡± ¡°Right...Mister Cheater.¡± Kvothe realized she had made fun of him again. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Asha asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Cain said he¡¯d give me a test of worth so he could teach me. I think I¡¯ll go talk to him and if it¡¯s something I can start now I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Mind if I tag along?¡± She asked hopefully. ¡°It¡¯s your life...Though it¡¯ll probably be something boring.¡± He didn¡¯t mind some company, but what his master would ask would probably be something repetitive and uninteresting. He didn¡¯t want to force something like that onto her, but she followed him anyway. Together they returned to entrance to talk to Cain. ¡°Master, how could you leave me there?! I couldn¡¯t even move!¡± Said a distressed Kvothe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry pup. I was lost in thought.¡± The master said nonchalantly. ¡°At least I sent someone in my place.¡± ¡°She went there by herself...¡± The student said angrily. ¡°Well, whatever.¡± Cain cut him off. ¡°Tomorrow morning, at 6am, you¡¯ll go to my house so I can give you your test.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I take it now?¡± Kvothe asked hopefully. ¡°If you could take it now, I¡¯d have already given it. Or do you take me for a fool?!¡± Kvothe was anxious to begin, but he decided not to argue. He got the master¡¯s house address and, together with Asha, took his leave. Then they went wander around the city. They talked about basic stuff like stats, skills and useful ways to train. She had quite the knowledge about the game and gave him lots of useful information about places, skills, NPCs and about the game system itself. ¡°Let me see if i got this right.¡± Kvothe wanted to confirm if he understood it correctly. ¡°If you hit a scarecrow for a month, you get 40 point in strength, agility and vitality?¡± ¡°Exactly¡± ¡°And you can gain stats by means other than level up?¡± ¡°Yes. And in some cases that¡¯s the only way to get points.¡± ¡°And skills can be taught, learned from repetition, reading a book or completing a quest? ¡± ¡°You can learn by repetition only if you¡¯ve met the requirements.¡± Kvothe thought about the possibilities. The month training would be a bit boring, but it would allow him to beat stronger monsters when he left the city. He was playing just for the adventure but he didn¡¯t mind some advantages. A game plan begun being formed in his head, besides the basic training he wanted to learn proper sword technique and a few other skills he thought necessary. ¡°Someone there?¡± Asha called. ¡°I thought I lost you for a second.¡± ¡°Sorry, I was thinking on what to do next.¡± ¡°As I was saying, I¡¯ve got to go. It¡¯s kinda late here. But before I go I wanted to add you as a friend. If you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be glad to add you as a friend. Besides, I¡¯ve got a huge debt to you now. This information you¡¯ve gave me helped a lot. And I always pay my debts, if I remember them.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. They added each other as friends and Asha logged out. Kvothe was pondering what he should do. He had made plans on what he wanted to accomplish. So many skills he wanted to learn, people he wanted to meet, things he wanted to try in this new world. Fighting was the main thing he wanted to test out. When he first arrived he tried moving and had great response. Despite being addicted to sports he had terrible flexibility and was overweight. The last was due to the fact that he loved eating and had a tendency to easily gain weight. That being said, when he tested his old kicks, his jumping ability, weaving and footwork he could perform better than real life despite feeling that they were all weaker. Meaning that his stats were not based on his real life abilities but on predefined settings. Remembering that made him smile. In this world he could really do whatever he wanted, even the impossible things such as fighting giant monsters. But, despite all the excitement, he decided that his better course of action would be log out until the next game day. ??? Adriano opened his eyes. He was back to the real world. He had only played for a few hours but it was literally a day in game since time there flowed four times faster. His mind felt sluggish and tired as if he had studied for a whole day. He exited his capsule, set his cellphone alarm so he wouldn¡¯t miss the appointed time with the master and went to to bed. Few minutes later he was already sleeping profoundly. ??? The sun was rising when Kvothe woke up in this world. He checked his stats and ate another dry and stale rye bread to relieve his hunger. It was almost time for his meeting with the master, so he went to the promised location. It was a simple house next to a sculpture shop. In front of it was a scarecrow similar to the ones at the training hall. To Kvothe¡¯s surprise the master was there, already awake and working on something. He had some kind of knife in one hand and something Kvothe couldn¡¯t see in the other. ¡°Good morning master.¡± Kvothe greeted him. The swordmaster raised his head to look at his pupil. His eyes showed that today he was a different person. Kvothe, who thought of himself as a good judge of character, had the impression that Cain was a carefree person. But now he knew he was wrong. At least when the subject was swordsmanship the master was as serious as one can be. ¡°Good morning.¡± Cain answered. ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready, because it¡¯s not going to be an easy day.¡± Cain put away the things he had in his hands, stood up and entered the house. Since he wasn¡¯t invited, Kvothe didn¡¯t follow and kept waiting outside. Two minutes later, the master returned holding a black sword. ¡°This is a special sword.¡± The master explained. ¡°It was carved by a dwarven master who mastered both blacksmith and sculpting. Despite being made of wood, it¡¯s stronger and more durable than most iron swords you¡¯ll find. It¡¯s also sharp as an iron sword. As my master gave it to me, now I pass it onto you.¡± He looked at the black sword. By no mean he could say it was made of wood. It was so polished you couldn¡¯t even see the wooden veins. ¡°Thank you master.¡± He said. ¡°But wasn¡¯t I supposed to be tested before receiving something like this?¡± ¡°This is your test, pup.¡± The master held the sword by the hilt. ¡°As I¡¯ve said, this is no ordinary sword. This sword holds the secret for my technique.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Let me demonstrate it to you.¡± He made a swing. ¡°Swing it poorly and you¡¯ll have no reaction.¡± He made another swing. This time there was a whistling when he made the movement. He did it again and this time it was two whistlings at the same time. ¡°The better you swing, the more whistles you¡¯ll have. Until you can fully master it.¡± He gave it another go and this time it was three clear whistles. ¡°Until you can make it whistle at will you won¡¯t be able to utilize the techniques I¡¯ve got to teach you.¡± ¡°But master, I don¡¯t even know the right way to hold a sword. How can I achieve such a thing?¡± ¡°Do not worry pup. I¡¯ll teach you the basics. What I won¡¯t be able to teach you is the secret techniques that makes this a singular sword art.¡± Relieved, he receive the sword from the mater and they begun the lesson. Today was the master¡¯s day off so they would remain at his house. After teaching how to hold the sword and correcting Kvothe¡¯s many mistakes, the master explained the basic swing motion. ¡°Now you should be able to give your first proper swing with a sword.¡± Kvothe held the sword with one hand as dictated by the style. He corrected the mistakes he could spot in his grip and looked to the master, who gave him an approving head nod. He then took the stance and made the motion slowly to get the feeling. He then tensed his grip, focused his mind only on the sword and made a swing. ¡°...¡± Nothing could be heard. Only the sound of the sword cutting the air and the impact against the scarecrow. ¡°That was a great swing.¡± Said the master laughing. ¡°Maybe in six months you¡¯ll be able to get one whistle.¡± Kvothe wasn¡¯t shaken. Not that he didn¡¯t hope to find out he had a natural talent for swordsmanship, but he was already used to not being a natural at anything. Up until now, all sports he tried he had to train more than others to achieve the same results. Even his fighting abilities came from extra hard work. For the years he trained Taekwondo the only partner his size was either the master or the top black belt pupil. He continued to train his form. Cain sat by the door, took out his knife and what appeared to be a piece of wood from his pockets and begun to carve the wooden piece. If that was any other day, he¡¯d probably be asking Cain what was he doing, but at the moment he was focused on his swing and on hitting the scarecrow. Kvothe was so concentrated on the training that he forgot he was in a game, and a few hours later he jumped back from a floating window that appeared.
Strength increased by 1 point (+1 STR).
That meant he was hitting the scarecrow for at least 5 hours. Time that he didn¡¯t see passing by. ¡°Master! I got one strength point!¡± He got even more excited. ¡°Really?! That much time has passed?!¡± The swordmaster looked to the sky. It was already past noon. Both men were so focused on their tasks they had lost track of time. Kvothe looked at the wood the master had been carving and it already had the general shape of a human. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± The master asked. ¡°A bit.¡± Kvothe answered truthfully. ¡°But I¡¯ll just eat some rye bread and deal with it.¡± ¡°Nonsense. I just asked because I don¡¯t want to be the only to try this new recipe I was thinking about. If it turns out bad at least I won¡¯t be the only to suffer.¡± ¡°Then at least let me help.¡± ¡°Ok. Follow me.¡± Both men went to the kitchen and begun cutting vegetables, meat and mixing ingredients. After almost an hour of work the food was served and they begun eating. Despite what the teacher said the food was really good. The meat was soft and dissolved in your mouth dispersing the garlic and onions flavor with a hint of pepper and to wash it down he had opened a beer so delicious it almost made Kvothe cry. ¡°This is so delicious! Both the food and the beer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you liked. I brewed this myself.¡± ¡°I wish I could cook like that.¡± Learning cooking was in Kvothe¡¯s agenda. He thought the master might offer to teach him the cooking skill if he offered to help, but the master didn¡¯t get the cue. So, despite being true, the compliment was a more direct way of hinting Cain of his intention to learn. ¡°Thank you, Kvothe. Maybe if you try hard, someday you can be a cook better than me.¡± Kvothe was shocked by the clueless teacher and couldn¡¯t hide that fact. ¡°Gahahaha.¡± Cain laughed at the student face. ¡°I know you want to learn cooking you oaf, I¡¯m just trying to teach you a lesson.¡± Kvothe¡¯s mouth was left hanging. ¡°Really?! What lesson could you possibly teach me by feigning ignorance?¡± ¡°I wanted you to know that I am your master. You don¡¯t need to try and trick me to teach you something. You just need to ask.¡± Kvothe felt ashamed. Not because he had tried to trick his teacher, but by the fact that he got caught. He was proud of his acting skills and the fact that he could bend people¡¯s will with some effort. Kvothe, the kingkiller, was his favorite character not only because he was an awesome anti-hero, but because he felt they were alike in that and a few other aspects. ¡°Ok then..¡± Kvothe said. ¡°Can you, please, teach me how to cook?¡± ¡°No.¡± Cain answered simply. ¡°But you said...¡± ¡°I said you should just ask me, not that I would teach you.¡± The master laughed again. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll teach you some other time. I just have to teach you a few more basic stuff since, after today, we won¡¯t have much time together for me to teach you.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± Kvothe had to ask. ¡°I thought you were smarter than that.¡± Cain said disappointed. ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll have to return to work. You¡¯re welcome to use the Training Hall as everyone, but I won¡¯t be able to help you with your training. My next free day is in two weeks, and then only in 7 weeks.¡± ¡°But then...How will I be able to receive the training on the techniques?¡± The master laughed as if he had said something really amusing. ¡°You probably won¡¯t be able to make that sword whistle in quite some time. It took me two months training all day without rest for that.¡± Kvothe¡¯s mouth turned into a grin. He wasn¡¯t a dedicated student, never was. Unless it was something he liked, he wouldn¡¯t bother making an effort to accomplish it. However, if something was interesting to him, he would make an inhuman effort to make it happen. Fortunately he was interested in mastering the sword to the point where he didn¡¯t notice his hunger and tired body until his focus was disturbed by the pop up window. ¡°Give me until your next break.¡± He said with huge confidence. Cain laughed again. This time louder than before. ¡°I was right.¡± He said with some kind of evil smile. ¡°You are one interesting pup.¡± Chapter 03 ? Chapter 03 - Master Tailor ? Chapter 02 Kvothe glared at the door a few meters away. The last rays of sunlight had already vanished from over the surrounding buildings and darkness now filled the alley. The smell there wasn¡¯t as bad as central plaza¡¯s, probably due to the lack of people. In the half hour he¡¯d been there, not a single soul had come his direction. He took a deep breath and began walking towards the door. Once more he looked at the sign that hung over it, "Lorraine¡¯s¡± was beautifully engraved in cursive letters in the darkened wood. This was definitely the place Asha told him about. Inside, a pretty woman in her thirties, stood behind the empty counter. She had light brown hair the reached the middle of her back, dark green eyes that lit with the prospect of that day¡¯s first client. As soon as Kvothe entered the room, she gave him a good look and the courteous smile she had, vanished. It was and understandable reaction, since he wore his beginner clothes and was still sweaty from his training with Cain. Despite the reaction, Kvothe remained impassive. He wore a serious expression, one that meant business. ¡°Are you the owner?¡± Kvothe asked. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± The woman answered. ¡°Then I presume you¡¯re Lorraine. I¡¯m Kvothe. Please show me your best wares.¡± Despite being a request, Kvothe¡¯s tone was demanding. Lorraine glared at him, but he still looked at her with serious expression. Kvothe glared back at her and their eyes met. A battle of wills had begun. One whole minute had passed before Lorraine broke eye contact and sighed. She moved to a near rack and grabbed a set of clothes. ¡°Here they are.¡± She said while putting them on the balcony, "This isn¡¯t my absolute best since it¡¯s a cheap material. But it¡¯s a good sample that you may be able to afford.¡± Kvothe let the comment slide mainly because he couldn¡¯t afford even the cheapest of clothes. All he wanted was to analyze the clothing. It was marvelous. Despite the low quality materials, the clothes were beautiful and soft to the touch. ¡°So it was really true...¡± He muttered. ¡°What is?¡± Kvothe¡¯s comment spiked Lorraine¡¯s curiosity since he was so focused on the clothes the moment he said it. ¡°What?¡± He asked returning to reality. ¡°You said something was true.¡± Lorraine explained, "What is it?¡± ¡°I said that out loud?¡± Kvothe tried to brush it off but Lorraine was still staring at him so he explained, "An acquaintance of mine said you were the best tailor in Rhodium.¡± Lorraine laughed upon hearing that. That was the reaction he expected when he said it. ¡°I¡¯m flattered.¡± Lorraine said, "But I¡¯d be a fool if I believed that.¡± ¡°Well...¡± Kvothe said, "I agree with her.¡± Lorraine¡¯s raised an eyebrow at that. It wasn¡¯t the kind of comment you¡¯d expect from a customer that would probably have to haggle. Kvothe appearance cried he hadn¡¯t a single copper in his pockets, and yet that¡¯s what he said. Seeing that puzzled look, Kvothe decided to explain. ¡°I was skeptical at first as well. How could a no name shop have the best tailor in town?! So I went to your competitors. They all showed me their best work. All made with the best materials they could get their hands on, much better material than yours. But all of those were terribly made and the prices were outrageous.¡± She had been extremely anxious at Kvothe''s presence, an understandable reaction to his appearance. It did nothing in the least to inspire trust, any rational person would have considered his objectives to be less than upstanding. After the simple explanation, Lorraine''s doubts were greatly assuaged and her harsh expression softened, even her posture loosened. ¡°Yours on the other hand...¡± Kvothe continued, "Even with this simple material, has a softness that is really close to those others. It looks practically seamless and even the fitting looks just right, and I¡¯m quite particular about fitting. Have you chosen it especially for me or is it coincidence?¡± At this point Lorraine¡¯s chin was almost hitting the ground. A dirty random man had entered her shop and displayed more knowledge in tailoring than most of the people that actually worked with it. Kvothe raised his eyes from the clothes to Lorraine since she hadn¡¯t given him an answer and waited. To that she just nodded in agreement. ¡°How thoughtful of you.¡± Kvothe said with an appreciative smile, "But that wasn¡¯t necessary. Despite really wanting to, I won¡¯t be able to buy this from you.¡± Lorraine¡¯s gape turned into a scowl. It was obvious she was furious with him. He had entered her store, wasted her time ,even demanded her best clothes and all along, he had no money whatsoever. She was about to throw him out when he spoke again. ¡°I came here to make you a proposition.¡± The scowl turned into a glare. For a few long, silent minutes she glared at Kvothe and he didn¡¯t budge, always looking her in the eyes. Murderous intent filled the air, obviously coming from the angry woman. Kvothe knew she probably wouldn¡¯t attack him, but there¡¯s always a possibility. Atmosphere had become so heavy that Kvothe was on the brink of excusing himself and leaving. ¡°What of it?¡± Lorraine asked without breaking eye contact or diminishing the intensity of the glare, "What kind of proposition?¡± ¡°Business proposition. A trade of sorts.¡± Kvothe said and waited for a response. ¡°Continue.¡± Is all she said. Kvothe pondered if that was a wise decision. Maybe it¡¯d have been better to leave and return later when she cooled off her head. But his intuition said that there would be no return if he left. He could almost see their low relationship index diminishing even more. It was all or nothing. ¡°I can help you save your shop.¡± Despite Kvothe¡¯s assumption it was impossible, Lorraine¡¯s glare intensified even more. He could almost hear the gears turning inside Lorraine¡¯s head trying to figure him out. It wasn¡¯t hard to see that her financial situation wasn¡¯t that great. The shop was so well hidden that it took Kvothe 40 minutes to find even with directions. She had a great stock of merchandise, and some had begun losing its shine from excessive exposition. But even with that, she was suspicious of Kvothe. ¡°What is in it for you? Since you know the condition I¡¯m in, you know I can¡¯t repay you.¡± Kvothe still felt heavy air that filled the shop. Her mood was as bad as it could get and what he wanted to ask, would get him a sure no. So he took the leap of faith and unleashed his secret weapon. ¡°Would you believe if I said that I have a pure and noble heart?¡± Kvothe said feigning an innocent grin. Lorraine burst into laughter. It was so infectious that Kvothe started laughing as well, and both laughed until they were left gasping. The joke was bad, but the atmosphere had been so intense that it was still effective. Bad jokes can be funny if told at the right moment. The heavy, intense atmosphere that was filling the shop vanished. Lorraine¡¯s mood appeared better as well. ¡°That was a good one.¡± She said while wiping some tears. ¡°Thanks.¡± Kvothe answered, "I¡¯m glad you liked it.¡± A awkward silence threatened to fall upon them, so Kvothe decided to take the initiative. ¡°I must apologize. My behaviour was less than appropriate. And I also wasted a lot of your time. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about that.¡± Lorraine brushed aside the apologies, "It¡¯s not like I was busy anyway.¡± That behavioural change surprised Kvothe. He was good at gauging people¡¯s moods and Lorraine had been about to burst from anger. But suddenly she was being amicable and easygoing. Unsure if or when an opportunity to strike would show itself, Kvothe decided to act quickly. ¡°Back to the proposition. I¡¯m really interested in helping. You can send me to fetch materials, lure clients, whatever you want¡­¡± ¡°And in exchange?¡± She cut off Kvothe mid sentence. ¡°In exchange...¡± Kvothe gulped, "You teach me tailoring.¡± Lorraine gave him a puzzled look. Apparently he had taken her off-guard with his request, since she took some time pondering her answer. ¡°You know...¡± She said in the same friendly manner, ¡°You can learn it at the tailor¡¯s guild for a really low price.¡± ¡°I do know.¡± Kvothe confirmed, ¡°But I don¡¯t like doing things half heartedly. If I¡¯ve got to learn something I might as well learn from the best.¡± Another moment passed before Lorraine spoke again. ¡°I¡¯m flattered that you think so highly of me, but tailoring is not something I can just give away to anyone. Since my childhood I¡¯ve dreamt of being a tailor and making people the best clothes possible. The time I¡¯ve spent training and developing my skills isn¡¯t measured by hours, days or months. For twenty five years I¡¯ve cut and sewed to get where I¡¯m at. For me, tailoring isn¡¯t just a tool of trade, it¡¯s my life.¡± Kvothe stood there, speechless for a few moments. He almost couldn¡¯t believe that Lorraine was just a program and not a real person. The complexity of her actions and depth of her thoughts were amazing. Especially since he knew real people that thought the same way she did, though he disagreed. ¡°I understand.¡± Kvothe answered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making such an inappropriate request. Had I know how much it meant to you I wouldn¡¯t have even dared to think about it.¡± ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t help you either.¡± Lorraine said apologetically, ¡°I hope you find someone else to teach you. Tailoring is a wonderful art.¡± Even after that bad start, Kvothe came to like her. Despite his disappointment, he wasn¡¯t angry at her. After all, he could learn that skill at other places. ¡°It was nice to meet you Miss Lorraine.¡± He said while walking to the door, "I hope we meet again.¡± He turned to leave, and found the door already open. Three men, two in full leather armor and one dressed in high quality clothes, were suddenly entering the shop. They shoved Kvothe out of their way and trampled in as if they owned the place. Kvothe glared at them but decided to leave it be since they were potential customers. The door closed behind him and his thought wandered to what should be his next step. Muffled voices could be heard coming from inside the shop. Although Kvothe thought they were being a bit too loud, he gave them no further thought. In his mind he went over the list of numerous tailors he had visited and the quality of their products. There should be one eager to get an apprentice. Male laughter could be heard coming from inside the shop. Lorraine¡¯s voice could now be heard as well, she was shouting. Kvothe looked back at the door. He heard Lorraine¡¯s scream. ******** ¡°You¡¯re already two months overdue. Pay me now, with the interest, and I¡¯ll leave. But if you don¡¯t...¡± The speaker was the well dressed man. His companions were each on a side of him. At his cue, one of them grabbed a dress from one of the racks and tore it in half. ¡°No!¡± Lorraine pleaded, ¡°Please, don¡¯t destroy my merchandise. How can I get your money if you destroy my livelihood.¡± ¡°You know, invasion and damage of property can give some serious jail time.¡± All people inside the shop jumped at the sudden voice. None had noticed the door opening and Kvothe standing there. He was leaning against the doorpost, arms crossed and sword in hand. One of the henchmen came at him. ¡°Go mind your own business.¡± The gorilla-like man said trying to look intimidating. An aura emanated from the man confronting Kvothe. It was murderous intent. It wasn¡¯t bad, but it felt like a breeze if compared to Cain¡¯s. Kvothe gave a small sigh of exasperation. ¡°You¡¯re in my friend¡¯s. You weren¡¯t invited here. You¡¯re destroying her stuff and¡­ Oh yeah¡­ You¡¯re threatening her. How can that not be my business?¡± He said in a single breath, ¡°If you want me to leave I¡¯ll do it, but I¡¯ll return with a few guards to solve this problem.¡± ¡°Who said you¡¯d be able to leave?¡± The man said approaching him. Kvothe had no intention to fight, but he fell into a fighting stance nonetheless. ¡°Why do I always play the hero?! It¡¯s stupid!¡± He knew he¡¯d die the moment the other man hit him. For that reason he wanted to intimidate them by mentioning the guards but, apparently they didn¡¯t care about that either. His plan had backfired...Not that it was a good plan from the start. ¡°Boris, stop!¡± They were about to clash when the well dressed man interrupted. One word and the big henchman had stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get in trouble with the guards again.¡± The man completed. ¡°You¡¯re lucky boss has such a good heart.¡± The man called Boris said, ¡°Or you¡¯d be dead already.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon boys, we¡¯re leaving.¡± The Boss said his minions, ¡°And Lorraine, you¡¯ve got two weeks to pay what you owe us or we¡¯re taking this shop of yours.¡± They smirked as they passed by Kvothe on the way out, he, in turn, glared them until they left the alleyway. As soon as they were out of his sight, Kvothe went to Lorraine. She had crumbled under the pressure and was in tears. He got her a chair and made her sit on it. ¡°So...¡± He begun, ¡°What was that about?¡± Between sobs she explained her situation to him. Those men were thugs from a local gang that appeared a few years ago. They were called The Black Bunnies. Vicious and ruthless, they were using every known way of extortion to gain control of the region. They had subdued most of the locals and had been using their shops as fronts for their own black market deals. Lorraine¡¯s shop location was very concealed, perfect for clandestine dealings. Especially if you wanted to hide illegal products. Ever since the Black Bunnies saw the potential of her location, they had been harassing her. All of the signs she put up were destroyed. The few clients she had were intimidated until they stopped showing up. And the shop had been targeted in various robberies. All that had drained Lorraine¡¯s finances, but she was stubborn and wouldn¡¯t give up her shop. So she went and borrowed some money from the moneylender guild and managed to stay afloat. The attacks had also stopped after that, she thought they had given up on the shop. She thought wrong. A few months after that, the Black Bunnies showed up in her store. After discovering her debt with the guild, they had bought it from them. That meant that her debt with the moneylender guild was now with them, but they still had to honor the contract that she and the guild had agreed on. That contract however, stated that she had to pay them within one year. And that was in one month so, she had to pay them back soon, or they could collect her collateral. The shop. Light sobs were the only thing breaking the silence that hovered after her story. Lorraine had her head down and hid her tears behind her hands. Kvothe stared at her blankly, the gears in his head spinning faster than ever. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lorraine said quietly without moving an inch, ¡°That¡¯s not of your concern. Thank you for your help.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± Kvothe said promptly, ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t help you after hearing something like that?!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ask you to help me.¡± She said raising her head, ¡°I can¡¯t offer you a single copper coin as payment.¡± ¡°And who said I wanted payment?¡± He asked with a grin, "Cheer up! I¡¯ve got a plan.¡± She looked at Kvothe expectantly, waiting for him to explain the plan. An explanation was not forthcoming. Instead he asked. ¡°Do you have a bathroom?¡± He was still reeking from Cain¡¯s training. For his plan to work, he would first need to get rid of the stench. After all, people didn''t like being approached by odoriferous things. Lorraine, however, didn¡¯t understand the sudden change of topic. ¡°Yes.¡± She answered with a quizzical look, "There¡¯s one in the back.¡± ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll also need this.¡± Kvothe took the clothes she had shown him earlier. Her puzzled look intensified, making him realize that it looked like he was just trying to rip her off. So he drew his sword and put it on her lap. ¡°Here, take it as a collateral. I don¡¯t know it¡¯s value, but for me it¡¯s all I¡¯ve got. It¡¯s something as valuable to me as your tailoring is to you.¡± (Lorraine still couldn¡¯t understand what had happened...) Without waiting for some response, Kvothe went to the bathroom with the new clothes in hand. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ****** All his life, people said he was quite the charming fellow, but now Kvothe realized he had no advertising experience. He had been roaming through Rhodium for almost an hour, trying to lure people to Lorraine¡¯s shop. It hadn¡¯t been a successful venture so far. His techniques were more suited to court girls and befriend people than convincing them to visit a dark alley. Upon arriving at the central plaza, he was so lost in thought he had almost fallen into a muddy pothole. As he felt the sudden change in the road, he looked down and saw the puddle. Reflexively, he quickly shifted his weight, making his step into a jump, and safely landed on the other side. It was a terrible trap, since it blended really well with the road, making it almost impossible to dodge if one weren¡¯t watchful. Had it not been for good reflexes coupled with an outstanding balance, he would have surely messed up his borrowed clothes. The central plaza was a place filled with shops and cafes. Most of the famous NPC artisans of Rhodium, as well as a few players, had their shops there. The number people that went there, each day, was in the thousands. Kvothe¡¯s decision of staying there was based on those facts. He chose to sit at the plaza¡¯s central fountain. It gave him a good view of the people that were passing by. Lots of well-dressed girls could be seen among them, so Kvothe begun analysing the situation. Most of them had what were called ¡°Branded¡± clothing. High priced clothes that were reasonably well created, but lacked the fitting that Lorraine¡¯s had. His eyes had been following a group of girls, when he realized they were heading to where the puddle trap was. They hadn¡¯t noticed it and were approaching it rapidly. Kvothe stood and begun running towards them, trying to warn them of the imminent danger. However they were apparently too excited with their conversation and couldn¡¯t hear him. It was too late. One of the girls had fallen into the puddle and had muddied all of her friends in the process. They were all trying to wipe themselves when Kvothe reached them. He offered the girl, who was still calamitously stuck in the puddle, his hand. ¡°Are you ok?¡± He asked with a charming smile, "That was quite a nasty fall.¡± She gaped at Kvothe as if he was her knight in shining armor, then she went red from embarrassment. Kvothe turned his head slightly and kept the smile, he didn¡¯t want her to feel uncomfortable. While going through his growth spurt he suffered accidents all the time. That even owned him a nickname that lasted for quite some time and still embarrassed him. ¡°Thanks!¡± She said, taking his hand, "I¡¯m fine nonetheless.¡± He helped her stand and greeted her equally frazzled companions. This was probably a night they¡¯ve been looking forward to, Kvothe observed. They were all wearing make-up (aka war paint), dresses and high heels. Probably heading for a group date or a girls night out. So the dismay in their voices when they greeted him back didn¡¯t surprise him, since their dresses (and the night) had been muddied. Sensing their distress, Kvothe saw a golden opportunity. He only hoped their expensive tastes reflected well the contents of their purses. He looked at the muddy girl. She was trying to wipe the mud off her fine silk dress. The originally white and green attire looked expensive. The monsters that produced such rare material were above level 300. ¡°Such a shame.¡± Kvothe said in a low depressed tone. The girl turned and caught him staring at her. A deathly glare fell upon Kvothe and made him shiver. If she was as strong as her fighting spirit, he didn¡¯t want to fight her under no circumstances. It felt as if three of the henchmen were holding swords at him and he was only in his underwears. He raised his open hands trying to show he was harmless. ¡°Wait, you misunderstood me.¡± He said quickly. Cold sweat run down on his face. If she attacked, he¡¯d be dead in the blink of an eye. That¡¯s how weak he was. His hopes of surviving rested on the possibility of she hearing what he had to say. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She asked angrily, "You were looking at my butt!¡± ¡°No...Well...I...¡± He gulped, trying to stop staggering, "I can¡¯t deny I was looking at you, but the main reason is the dress you¡¯re wearing.¡± The murderous intent diminished, but didn¡¯t disappear. Kvothe took that opportunity to take a deep breath. He¡¯d have to explain himself really well if he valued his life. It all depended on this. His first step would have to be decisive. So he decided to introduce himself. Names are important things. They can increase your familiarity and make ¡°the pervert¡± into a person. ¡°My name is Kvothe.¡± He wanted to be as thorough and straightforward as possible, "I¡¯ve got a friend who is the greatest tailor I¡¯ve ever met. She¡¯s been teaching me about clothing and stuff, so I couldn¡¯t help but admire yours. It¡¯s made from such beautiful material.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± She let a surprise exclamation escape, "Thank you¡­¡± ¡°A shame it¡¯s not really fit for you.¡± Kvothe interrupted. ¡°What?!¡± She asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow, "You just said it was beautiful...¡± Kvothe gave her a comforting smile. He had her attention now. ¡°It is a beautiful dress. The tailor¡¯s skills, however, were lacking.¡± Kvothe answered pointing while explaining slowly, "He neglected to take into account the curvatures of your body, especially around the waist. It clearly wasn¡¯t made especially for you, maybe for someone with fewer curves. You must be feeling really uncomfortable with it. But the material is really good, a shame it was wasted in such savage way.¡± She and her friends were gaping at him. Kvothe had never been knowledgeable about clothes or fashion, he had actually never cared about it. However, he was very cunning and knew how to feign knowledge in unknown subjects. His roam through Rhodium had taken him to the famous tailoring stores. In each he had asked about the best clothes and their particular features, receiving information about needlework, fitting and materials. All he needed to do was mimic that information and use the same terminology, and there you have a tailoring expert. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The girl said still astonished, "This dress is uncomfortable as hell. But I¡¯ve never worn a different kind of dress...¡± ¡°Really?! That¡¯s because you¡¯ve never met Lorraine. I¡¯ll do you a favor. I¡¯ll take you, com with me Miss...?¡± He said inquiringly looking into her eyes. Rules of first encounters: offer your name before anything else and, if the person doesn¡¯t offer their name back, don¡¯t ask. A question fives margin to refusal and that margin is usually used. However, if you make a request, that margin is extinct. That¡¯s the reason she couldn¡¯t deny him. ¡°Luiza.¡± She told him with a hint of curiosity in her voice. ¡°Miss Luiza¡­¡± He said, savoring the name and offering his hand, "Allow me to take you to the greatest tailor in all Rhodium.¡± His flawless smile was receive by Luiza¡¯s slight apprehension. Nonetheless, she gripped his hand firmly. Kvothe turned to face Luiza¡¯s friends. ¡°Will you come as well? I am sure there will be something.¡± That was enough to convince them. Kvothe filled the short walk with small talk, getting to know the girls, and their names. When they arrived at the alley entrance, the girls stopped. Their anxious face and furtive glances showed their worry. It was indeed the bad part of town. Players knew it well, since it¡¯s where cheaper weapons and armor [ of suspicious origins] could be bought. ¡°Kvothe, wait!¡± Luiza called him when he didn¡¯t stop, "Are you sure this is the right place? Most stores here are just a cover for black market dealings.¡± ¡°I know, but she¡¯s different.¡± He said. When their faces didn''t change he gave them a wry smile and added, "You can trust me.¡± Luiza answered with a smile of her own, and followed him into the alley. The others followed a few steps behind, ready to flee at the smallest sign of problem. Seeing that, Kvothe gave a small soundless sigh. He understood their reaction, since he had spent half an hour building up the courage to enter the shop, even with Asha¡¯s forewarning. Pushing the door open, he entered the shop and urged the girls to enter as he held it. Lorraine¡¯s surprised look gave him an automatic smile. He had completed his part of the scheme, now, it was her turn. ¡°Girls!¡± He called, "This is Lorraine. Great friend and best tailor this world has ever seen. She¡¯ll be helping you choose your new clothes this evening.¡± Lorraine replaced the surprised face with a courteous smile, the perfect saleswoman face, and welcomed the girls. She gave each girl a good look and promptly surveyed her stock, picking different sizes and styles. Her skillful eyes didn''t miss a thing and her various selections fit each intended girl perfectly. ¡°Such a beautiful dress!¡± One of the girls exclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this used to be a fox pelt. It looks like high quality material.¡± Another said while touching a dress. In the end, all of them decided to try on the clothes Lorraine had picked for them. Kvothe had to wait for them, while bearing the silent thank yous from Lorraine. When they reappeared, he¡¯d comment on their appearance, but most of them were just compliments on how good they were. Each of the girls selected a few clothes and waited for Lorraine to calculate the total sales price. Kvothe gulped in anxiety, he had told the girls it¡¯d be cheap without having asked Lorraine the price of her merchandise. He just hoped his scheme wouldn¡¯t come bit him in the ass. ¡°What?!¡± One of the girls screamed, "Is that really the price?¡± He felt his heart rate speed up. Did he make a mistake in assuming her prices would be resonable? ¡°Yes.¡± Answered a perplexed Lorraine. Remembering how highly she treated her tailoring it was obvious she¡¯d never sell her products at low prices. ¡°Are you sure?!¡± Luiza asked for a confirmation. ¡°Yes, I am sure.¡± Lorraine confirmed. Kvothe couldn¡¯t hide his sadness. All that effort he put into luring clients would be a waste if her price was too high. At least now, he knew the strategy he would be using to lure clients. ¡°Then wait a minute¡­ I¡¯ll see if I find anything else I like.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°Me three!¡± ¡°Me four!¡± The girls went back to the racks to search through more of the beautiful, and apparently low priced, outfits.Kvothe stood there in the middle of the store, gaping. Everything had exceeded his expectations. Each time a girl tried something that didn¡¯t fit her quite right, Lorraine would alter it within seconds. Her skill level was extremely high, since all she needed was a look. She got it right at the first time. Kvothe finally understood the god-like admiration Asha had displayed while recommending her. A quick hour later, Lorraine and Kvothe were saying the girls goodbye. Each was outfitted in new clother and weighed down by the numerous bags they carried. ¡°Thanks for coming!¡± Lorraine said with a smile from ear to ear. ¡°Be sure to tell your friends about the shop!¡± Kvothe added. The girls turned and left. They were already at the main street when Luiza said something, gave her bags to one of the other girls, and begun walking back to Lorraine and Kvothe. Thinking she had forgotten something, Kvothe waited in front of the shop. Lorraine had already returned inside, where she was setting things in order. ¡°Did you forget something?¡± Kvothe asked as soon as Luiza arrived. ¡°Erm...Hmm...No.¡± She was jumping from foot to foot, "I wanted to ask you something.¡± Anxiety, Kvothe realized. Whatever she wanted to ask, wasn¡¯t easy for her. ¡°Sure. Shoot!¡± ¡°Erm...I know we just met...But...¡± ¡°Oh, Yeah!¡± Kvothe interrupted her, "Can I add you to my friends list?¡± Considering the girl''s nervousness, he guessed that she wanted to ask the same of him. Instead of letting her get even more flustered than she already was, he asked her himself. ¡°Of course!¡± Luiza answered with a smile. Kvothe sent her an invitation and she accepted. She had such a delighted look on her face that he answered with a truthful smile. ¡°Thanks! What was it you wanted to ask?¡± ¡°Nothing important.¡± She answered, dodging the question, "Gotta go now! My friends are waiting.¡± ¡°Hope we meet again!¡± He said as she ran back to her friends. ¡°Me too. Bye!¡± She waved from distance. Kvothe watched as she left, her long, dark brown hair flowing in the wind. She was just his type of girl. Strong minded, courteous and, above all else, she had a smile that would make you steal the moon from the sky just to see it again. With that thought, Kvothe returned to the shop to help Lorraine. ***** The sun had just risen, yet Kvothe was already concerned. Based on the previous night, his estimates were grim. Unless some heavy selling, or a substantial rise in prices occurred, Lorraine would be out of business. And yet, she had dismissed the second option. Said it¡¯d make her clothes inaccessible to some of her clients (Such as Kvothe). The night had rendered 150 gold to Lorraine and fourteen friendship requests to Kvothe - all of those from girls. Despite the sum being astronomical, - at least in his eyes - it wasn¡¯t enough to pay off even half a percent of Lorraine¡¯s debt. Even if Kvothe was an optimist, believing that each satisfied customer would return with two more, the sales income would barely pay the debt on time. Yet, even in that utopian scenario, she¡¯d go bankrupt. Materials aren¡¯t free after all. So they needed a new plan, one that would attract a substantial number of clients. Preferably rich ones, since custom made clothes were more expensive than the ones that were already done. Rich people usually brought their own high quality materials, so the price was clean profit. But to attract rich customers they needed something they didn¡¯t have. All rich people care about is showing off, clothes wise that meant ¡®brand¡¯. In Royal Road that meant having your clothes done by an famous tailor. Worrying about Lorraine¡¯s situation is what kept his mind busy as he walked back to the training hall. The previous day had been spent learning swordsmanship, but now he had a ¡°quest¡± to complete. Only that was more urgent than learning the sword. Even so, Lorraine had made him leave the shop. She said she had to produce more clothes to replace the ones they had already sold and Kvothe would only be in her way if he stayed. He arrived at the training hall to find Cain already at the entrance. They exchanged greetings and Kvothe headed to the back of the hall. After stretching and taking out the dark wooden sword, he began hitting the scarecrow, each time using one of the stances he had learnt the day before. That cycle was repeated 50 times before he changed it. Next were the continuous strikes, combos if you prefer. Fifty sets of those and then he changed hands. It was a one handed sword style, but he might as well be able to do with both. When he took note of the time, Cain was already calling him for lunch. Apparently Cain had taken a liking to Kvothe, or ¡®young pup¡¯, as the old man called him. During lunch, he told Kvothe stories of his younger days. With almost palpable amazement, Kvothe listened as the master told about when he fought the true blood vampires. For Kvothe, the already strong master was now seen as a monster, since those vampires were middle 200 level monsters. ¡°Thank you for the lunch, master. It was delicious!¡± Kvothe said after finishing the meal. ¡°Yeah, yeah...¡± The master replied, nonchalantly shooing Kvothe away, ¡°Stop the bantering and go back to your training.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Kvothe answered giving a perfectly mocking, deep bow. Cain responded to him with a smack to the head. Laughing, Kvothe was returning to his scarecrow, but was interrupted by an unexpected whisper. He answered and was talking to the other person, when a malicious grin spread over Kvothe¡¯s face. ¡°Master...¡± He called to Cain. His tone denoted a question, but he still wore a devilish smile, ¡°How well can you dance?¡± Chapter 04 ? Chapter 4 - The Ball ? Chapter 03 The sounds of air being cut and a scarecrow being hit cracked rhythmically, like the beating of a heart. Kvothe¡¯s ears were so accustomed to the sounds that he almost did not hear them. The sounds came from his seemingly flawless movements. Each thing he had learnt from Cain, he¡¯d engraved in his mind and body. Yet, he felt his progress was slow and his dissatisfaction with it was pasted on his face. His objective was to make his sword whistle at least once, but apparently he wasn¡¯t capable of that. Despite it all, he kept training. It was all he could do to relieve his anxiety about what was to come. The smell of recent rain and the orange light of the setting sun filled the training hall, denoting that the time had come. Kvothe put away his sword and headed outside, where Cain was already waiting. The master shifted from one feet to the other, a clear signal of anxiety. Seeing it, Kvothe had to laugh. ¡°Scared of a little dance, master?¡± He teased Cain. ¡°A little dance?!¡± The master answered glaring at him, ¡°If it were a little dancing, I¡¯d be okay with it. But no¡­ It had to be the debut of the first, and most spoiled, child of Count Di Kontarr.¡± Charles Di Kontarr was a count from the court of Rhodium. Owner of a huge amount of land he had conquered and protected with his own hands, he was one of the most feared men in the region. His influence was so vast that he was considered the unofficial Lord of Rhodium. His oldest daughter had just reached marrying age and following the customs of the court, Count Di Kontarr was offering his daughter a party of introduction to society. Every noble of the continent had been invited, and most had confirmed their presence already. The nervousness in Cain¡¯s voice was legit, but Kvothe knew that wasn¡¯t the real problem Cain had with the plan. At least not the only. ¡°Master,¡± Kvothe gave a small sigh, ¡°I told you already. You don¡¯t need to worry that much. Lorraine doesn¡¯t bite.¡± The plan involved showing off Lorraine¡¯s clothes at the party but, since Kvothe didn¡¯t know that many people in-game, he needed Lorraine¡¯s presence. Unfortunately Lorraine was single and didn¡¯t have any male friend to accompany her, so Kvothe had to use his only other contact; Cain. Despite his misleading pauper appearance, Cain was part of the nobility. In his earlier days he had acquired the title of knighthood through famous deeds and accomplishments in the great Battle of the Tigers. Yet, he avoided the parties and festivities because of his lack of social skills. The deadly glare Cain gave Kvothe would have been intimidating had it not been for his beet red face. Cain had tried to refuse, but Kvothe had convinced him into joining the plan. He knew how to push people¡¯s buttons, and Cain¡¯s were easier to find than most. Well...He was a forty years old bachelor after all. ¡°Okay, Grumpy.¡± Kvothe said laughing, ¡°We better get going or Lorraine might bite you for real.¡± Their final destination was Lorraine¡¯s, but they went to Cain¡¯s home for baths. Kvothe had another laughing fit when he caught Cain rehearsing a few conversation in front of a mirror. That earned him a good smacking from the master. After that they left for their destination. When facing the familiar alleyway, Kvothe was reminded of how empty it had been the first time he saw it. Yet, the two days that followed that were filled with work for Lorraine. People crowded her shop at all times, giving her almost no rest, trying to get a chance to buy her products. She had spent most of the time the shop had closed making new clothes to sell. Kvothe saw that a line filled the alleyway. Lorraine was frantically trying to appease the people that requested a chance of buying clothes from her. He joined her and, even together, a few minutes passed before the crowd was dispersed. Cain waited some distance away while they did that, nervously fiddling. As soon as the crowd left, Lorraine went to greet Cain. She had a suspiciously more than courteous. ¡°Sir Loeclos,¡± She said giving him a small bow, ¡°I¡¯m so glad you were able to make it.¡± Behind her back, Kvothe was making biting and scratching motions to Cain, who went red with anger and nervousness. The same had happened two days before, when they visited the shop for Lorraine to take their measurements. Cain had been so anxious he wasn¡¯t able to say a single word the whole time. Since then, Kvothe hadn¡¯t given his a second¡¯s worth of rest from the teasing. ¡°Erm...I...Erm...It...¡± Cain tried talking but nothing understandable would come out. Lorraine turned around to see what Cain was looking at and caught Kvothe laughing at his expense. A quick glance and she understood it all. ¡°Kvothe!¡± She was angry at him, ¡°Stop being mean to Sir Loeclos! He¡¯s been really generous helping us out.¡± Immediately Kvothe¡¯s face changed and a perfect mask of contriteness. Of course it was all an act, after all, the jokes can never stop. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He said Lorraine and then directed to Cain. ¡°My deepest apologies...¡± he said giving a deep bow while making a flourish with his hands. ¡°Sir Loeclos.¡± His devilish grin sprouted at the sight of the distressed Cain and the blushing Lorraine. The master pupil relationship changed drastically whenever they weren¡¯t training, so Kvothe didn¡¯t feel awkward while making jokes at the master¡¯s expense. Lorraine on the other hand, he had no reason not to tease. Especially since he could see her sparkling eyes whenever she saw Cain. Seeing the two of them blushing together and avoiding each other eyes was highly entertaining, making Kvothe laugh until his stomach hurt. ¡°Wait a second.¡± Lorraine said while looking around, ¡°Where¡¯s the girl?¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Kvothe ran like the wind. At least he already knew Rhodium well enough to find the shortest route for his destination. He checked the clock once again and it still said he was late. How could he forget the girl that made his plan possible?! The one that had been the inspiration to it all?! He took another left and she became visible. Her slender figure stood out amidst the crowd of players around the fountain. Her black hair flowing in a side to side motion following her shaking head. She was profusely rejecting a male player that tried holding her hand forcefully. His vision blurred and, when he came by, he was pulling the forceful guy by the collar. Kvothe could only see as the guy flew through the air at his side and slammed into the pavement behind him. Usually he didn¡¯t succumb to anger, but whenever he did, the best thing to do was to get out of his path. At that moment, Kvothe felt his anger all around, as if he was inside a pool filled with it. He directed all that anger at the guy on the floor, picturing many ways to make him suffer. The guy begun cowering in fear, trying frantically to get away from Kvothe as fast as possible. As soon as he saw Kvothe wasn¡¯t chasing him, he got up and ran the other direction.
A new skill has been created.
Imposing Fear. Your deathly gaze instill fear on your enemies, and none shall oppose you. Mana consumption: Target dependant.
The sudden appearance of a window made him return to his senses. He gave a quick look around and saw that most of the people were distancing themselves from him. Most of those gave him fearful looks, as if he was about to attack them. He read the skill description and looked at his status. His mana bar was completely depleted. That explained the wide range of effect. If it was a level related skill, all players that were of equal or lower level than the target would be affected. Yet, the one he was there to meet, had only a look of curiosity in her face. Kvothe looked at her face and smiled. ¡°I apologize for my lateness, milady.¡± He gave a slight bow, ¡°I hope you¡¯ll forgive me.¡± He felt a slight thump on the back of his head. ¡°Stop acting like that! You¡¯re giving me the creeps.¡± Kvothe raised his head and saw the smile he was hoping for. Undoubtedly he¡¯d face every weirdo in Rhodium so he could see it again. Of course it was Luiza, the girl who had fallen into the puddle. The whisper Kvothe received three days ago was from her. She was inviting him to a ball, which in truth was Count Di Kontarr¡¯s party. In few seconds, Kvothe had the basic outline of his plan traced. Such event would attract all kinds of important people, players and NPCs alike. That kind of luck couldn¡¯t be wasted, especially since Lady Luck and Kvothe had never been in good terms. So, as fast as he could, Kvothe begun putting the plan in motion. At first he thought he¡¯d need to find someone to get Lorraine another invitation, but being a noble, Cain had been invited as well. After convincing everyone to participate and certifying that all the bases were covered, he went talk to Lorraine. They agreed on meeting the next day to take everyone¡¯s measurements and explain everything. The meeting occurred without further issues. Everyone was ok with the plan and willing to help Lorraine. After that, Kvothe and Luiza spent the day together. Well, he went back to training hall and she accompanied him. They spent all time talking about interests and hobbies while Kvothe trained. Kvothe realized they had more in common than he previously thought. She had to leave, but before she made him promise meeting her ten minutes before going to Lorraine. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kvothe said apologetically, ¡°I got too excited and forgot about our arrangement.¡± Luiza frowned in a way that was more mocking than angry. Kvothe looked at her, noticing how beautiful she was. Not that she wasn¡¯t usually beautiful, but it was obvious the effort she put into looking nicer that day. Her carefully applied make-up accentuated her deep green eyes and her hairstyle framed her face in such a way that made her appear almost regal. She was wearing her usual clothes, since Lorraine said she would arrange appropriate clothing for everyone. ¡°How could you keep me waiting?!¡± She gave an embarrassed smile, ¡°But thanks for the help. I never know how to handle pushy guys.¡± Looking the way she did, it was no wonder that she would be target of such attempts. Had Kvothe not known her, he¡¯d probably be using his charms on her. ¡°No problem.¡± An awkward silence was threatening to fill their encounter. Despite what it looked like, Kvothe wasn¡¯t the jealous type. He¡¯d probably do the same for any other girl, except he wouldn¡¯t act so impulsively. But the way it had happened, he was now the jealous guy in everyone¡¯s eyes, including Luiza¡¯s. ¡°Erm...¡± Kvothe felt a bit awkward with the situation, ¡°I think we should get going. Lorraine and Cain are waiting already.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Luiza said with a bright smile. Together they walked silently towards Lorraine¡¯s. Kvothe was trying to think of some topic to talk about when Luiza touched his shoulder. ¡°How did you do that?¡± She asked. ¡°Do what?¡± Kvothe asked confused. ¡°That terrifying aura you sent. Since you¡¯re level one, your fighting spirit shouldn¡¯t be that high.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± He answered, finally understanding what was the topic they were talking, ¡°That was a skill. Imposing fear or something like that. It just appeared.¡± ¡°Never heard of it.¡± She answered nonchalantly, ¡°It seems useful, especially against stronger opponents.¡± ¡°Yeah. But it used up all my mana...¡± Kvothe then realized something. Luiza hadn¡¯t even flinched at his enormous killing intent. She had been the only one that wasn¡¯t even taken back by it. All the others had, at least, taken a step away from him. He glared at her intently. ¡°Wait a second.¡± He turned to face her, ¡°You felt it and didn¡¯t even flinch?! How high is your level?¡± She looked at him with a devilish grin then swapped it for a innocent looking face. ¡°That¡¯s¡± She gave him a flirtatious wink, ¡°a secret!¡± ***** The fact that Lorraine could transform low-priced materials into high quality clothing had become a commonly known fact over the last couple days. However, what she currently held had been created from uncommon materials. Each had been specifically tailored for each individual. As soon as she heard that she was in charge of the most important part of the plan, she began working on it. She scraped all material she deemed unworthy of being worked on a piece of art. She was left with rarity items that could only be found in higher level monster''s loot. Some of the loot was even boss type.. Nothing too fancy, but much better than the fox pelts. Kvothe, who had been following the process, received his first lesson. ¡°First thing you need to know that being a good tailor depends on your ability of identifying high quality material.¡± Lorraine took Kvothe by surprise when she nonchalantly started explaining her work. She didn¡¯t even bother raising her head from her work for the explanation. ¡°Erm...¡± Kvothe decided to ask since it was so important to her, ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Lorraine stopped working and looked at him, raising a puzzled eyebrow. ¡°You said you wanted to learn tailoring.¡± She said as if it was obvious, ¡°Have you given up on it already?¡± ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t give up!¡± Kvothe answered promptly, ¡°I just thought that I¡¯d ask again after we¡¯d saved your shop.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re serious about learning we might start right now.¡± Giving a small smile she added, ¡°But I¡¯m a strict teacher, so I expect you to commit yourself.¡± Kvothe nodded in agreement so Lorraine returned to her work all the while explaining her process. ¡°As I was saying, first you need to identify the high quality materials. High quality doesn¡¯t mean rare or pricey material. Even between fox pelts there is a huge distinction. Look at this as an example.¡± She handed him two fox pelts. At Kvothe¡¯s eyes there was no difference between them, yet he decided to take his time before answering. He was a show off after all. Reaching for both of them, he began a deeper analysis. Touch, smell and even taste, he tried it in all the ways he could imagine. ¡°I see...¡± He said giving them back to her, ¡°They¡¯re so different that you wouldn¡¯t even think they¡¯re from the same kind of animal.¡± ¡°Oh, really?!¡± She said with a dubious face, ¡°Enlighten me then.¡± ¡°At first I couldn¡¯t see the difference.¡± He confessed, ¡°But as soon as I touched them, the disparities I found were huge. Be it fur softness, leather toughness, skin thickness, pelage strand size, all of them are different. I¡¯m not saying one is bad and the other is good, but I¡¯d probably sell that one...¡± He pointed at one of the pelts, ¡°to a blacksmith. He¡¯d probably find a better use in it than a tailor.¡± ¡°I must say...that¡¯s a very good analysis. But as a tailor you¡¯ve got to look for other things as well. Stains are a very important thing you overlooked...¡± The lesson went on. She taught him how to identify the age of the animal, the way it was skinned and the kind of instrument that was use. He learned that if you looked closely there was an incredible amount of information written on the condition of a fox pelt. Kvothe would bet his good right hand that no player had ever cared about that stuff. In the end, he learnt all about materials in a few hours but, not wanting to bother her more, he left to return only when needed. ¡°So pretty!¡± Was Luiza¡¯s only comment. Her eyes sparkled as she drooled over her new dress. Looking at his clothes, Kvothe had to force his mouth shut, or he would be gaping at it. He decided that if some day he had some ultra-rare high quality material he¡¯d ask her to turn it into clothes, just to see the piece of art it would become. She had surpassed the stage of a mere seamstress, she was a true artist. Distributing the clothes to the appropriate person, Lorraine directed them to the dressing rooms. At first sight, Kvothe thought his new suit would be constraining. His real life experience with smokings and tuxedos was minimal a best, but he already knew he didn¡¯t like them due to their constraint. However, the clothes Lorraine made him fit unexpectedly well, giving him complete freedom of movement. He looked is reflection and was amazed by what he saw. Kvothe couldn¡¯t believe the man looking at him was himself. The bonus in appearance the suit gave was so high that he looked like a perfected version of his real self. Looking like that, no lady would be safe from his charms. His thoughts wandered to the possibilities he would have by looking like that, they were infinite. Hearing a knock on the door, he returned to reality. Laughing at his own childish thoughts, Kvothe opened the door and joined the master. He looked magnificent as well. Lorraine had really outdone herself with this clothes. The master however, looked uncomfortable, but apparently his reason wasn¡¯t suit-related. Distressed, Cain explained the situation to his pupil. When Kvothe left to meet Luiza, an awkward silence had taken over the shop. When Cain tried to make small talk he had fumbled and embarrassed Lorraine. Kvothe tried to comfort him, but Cain couldn¡¯t even remember what he had said to her. All he knew was that afterwards, she wouldn¡¯t look in his direction anymore. He patted the master¡¯s back and said a few consoling words. At least now he had made some sort of conversation with her, despite the apparent bad results. But a situation like this was easily solved with an apology. At least that¡¯s what Kvothe was saying when the women came out of the changing rooms. Since he had his back to the changing rooms, the first thing he saw was Cain¡¯s reaction. The master¡¯s eyes widened and his chin fell to the floor. Yet, saying that had been the correct reaction was an understatement without equal. Kvothe turned and saw himself repeating Cain¡¯s actions. No amount of willpower would be enough to keep his mouth from hanging open. ¡°Wow! You are...¡± Kvothe managed to speak after a few minutes of silent contemplation. Yet, he couldn¡¯t find the right words to describe them. Pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Outstanding. A ray of sun in the dark night. A oasis in the middle of the scalding desert. No words in his vocabulary, nor metaphor, could do justice to such scene. ¡°...Perfect.¡± He finally completed. ¡°Really?!¡± Luiza asked annoyed, ¡°So many possible compliments and you choose that?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kvothe apologized, ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of any other compliment that would be fit for the situation. None was enough to translate into words how beautiful you are now. Hence, perfect is the best I could come up with since I can¡¯t even imagine how someone could be more beautiful.¡± Both women broke into smiles. Lorraine found some minute adjustments that were needed and was working on them. She was clearly avoiding eye contact with the still gaping Cain. Seeing that, Kvothe elbowed him in the ribs, and motioned to Lorraine. ¡°Compliment her, you slowpoke.¡± He whispered, ¡°It works wonders.¡± Cain gulped and approached the girls. Lorraine saw him approach and turned her face away from him, she was already blushing. ¡°Erm¡­ Lorraine...¡± He said staggering a bit, ¡°I must say¡­ You look amazing.¡± She looked at him, her face was still slightly pinker, and gave Cain a shy smile. It filled Cain with confidence, so he grew bolder. ¡°I really mean it. I¡¯ve never seen such a beautiful woman, especially at your age.¡± Pro tip. When attempting to compliment women, never, under any circumstances - and I mean any - approach the following topics; Weight and age. The risk of it blowing on your face is too high. Men should come with that information from birth, like an instinct. But Cain had no tact whatsoever. Kvothe buried his face in his hands. He should have predicted as much, since the master was a brute that only knew the sword. Raising his face, he was ready to try and mend the situation when he saw Lorraine¡¯s face. She was rose red, trying to hide her face, but a huge smile of satisfaction could be seen. Sudden realization hit Kvothe, it wasn¡¯t an one-sided attraction. Yet¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you lovebirds, but we should be leaving.¡± Kvothe cut them off, ¡°We can¡¯t be late.¡± ***** His insides were all mushy, but Kvothe¡¯s face remained impassive. He thought he had overcome his stage fright, but apparently not all of it. The mix with the anxiousness of the plan working or not, plus the situation he found himself; entering a full ballroom from higher ground, being carefully skimmed by all the nobility of the City of Artists and surroundings. It all made him feel as if he had forgotten the song lyrics in a solo performance. ¡°Lady Luiza from Rosenhein and Mister Kvothe from Rhodium.¡± The announcer proclaimed. He anticipated it¡¯d be a great event, but the real thing exceeded his expectations. The ballroom was absolutely huge. A crowd of noblemen was gathered there, players and NPC alike. Paintings covered the wall and ceiling, all from well known artists. Statues of all sizes and shapes were being exposed. A huge crystal chandelier was hanging from the ceiling. At least 300 candles adorned it and the huge magical light in its center filled the whole room with a blue mystical aura. Kvothe felt a slight tremble on his right arm, but it wasn¡¯t his. As he looked, he saw that Luiza¡¯s hand that held his arm was shaking nervously. He put his hand over hers, and gave her a comforting smile. Despite the nervous look she had, her beauty was still awe inspiring and the blue halo that enveloped her, gave her an air of fae creature. Even Aphrodite would be envious of her looks. She returned Kvothe¡¯s smile, and together they descended the stairs. People openly stared at them, and the hateful looks he received from the other males, made Kvothe feel like the most envied man on the precinct. Not for who he was, but because of whom he was with. Cain and Lorraine¡¯s entrance had been so striking Kvothe thought his would be overlooked. The effect it had, however, was that people had been more mindful of the arrivals. So, when Kvothe and Luiza were announced, everyone was wondering who they would see after. At the bottom of the stairs, Cain and Lorraine were exchanging words with the most influential public figure of Rhodium, Charles Di Kontarr. His build was that of a knight, tall and buff, but his facial expression told another story. He had a warm smile and his voice was soft and fatherly at all times. ¡°...get me your tailor¡¯s name.¡± The count was talking to Cain. ¡°I¡¯d love to get some clothes like that for myself.¡± ¡°Actually, she¡¯s the one behind these beautiful garments.¡± Cain said while showing his companion. ¡°Lorraine Verich, my lord.¡± Lorraine greeted the host with a small bow, ¡°Thank you for the kind words.¡± ¡°No, please, call me Charlie.¡± The count said with a smile, ¡°Any friend of Cain is a friend of mine.¡± That took Kvothe by surprise. He didn¡¯t know about any previous relationship between Cain and the count. Thinking back, they were both military men and both had nobility titles. Doing the math was easy, but that could be a good topic to initiate a conversation. ¡°Good evening, and welcome to my party!¡± Count Di Kontarr said as he saw Kvothe and Luiza approaching. ¡°Good evening Milorde.¡± Kvothe answered with a respectful bow, ¡°Thank you for inviting us.¡± He hadn¡¯t been properly invited but etiquette mustn¡¯t be forgotten, especially when dealing with nobility. The count extended a hand which Kvothe promptly took while displaying a wide grin. ¡°I overheard your talk.¡± He said to the nobleman, ¡°Master Cain never told me you were acquaintances.¡± ¡°Master Cain?! Interesting...¡± Charles said in a surprised tone. His expression changed slightly. The gentle, warm smile he had became more devilish, as if foreseeing the interesting developments that would come. That lasted only an instant and he returned to his usual fatherly image. ¡°Then, please, feel free to call me Charles as well.¡± He was back to his gentle tone, ¡°Truth is, I am more than acquainted with your master. I owe him my life, and his advice were what made possible our victory in the last war. Truth be told, I was quite green at the time...¡± ***** The free city of Rhodium had always been known as the city of arts. But until fifteen years ago, the city was ruled by a king. He was a wise and gentle regent, ruling his people with fairness. Those days no one would overlook Rhodium for it was beautiful and rich. Unfortunately that king died young, leaving no heirs to rule over the people. For that reason, the duty to rule was passed to the royal advisors. They decided to remain without a king until a worthy candidate appeared. Until then, the city would be managed by them, with a regent chosen by the people as an authority figure. However, before an election could be arranged, the kings of the twin cities of Caelshun and Sofenheim decided they had the right to rule over Rhodium. Caelshun and Sofenheim were both south of Rhodium. For years they were at war, until their kings made a pact of non-aggression that soon evolved into an ruling alliance. Both cities became peaceful and wealthy, so they decided to expand their influence and give the world the same things they had achieved. However, that meant conquering other kingdoms and its people. Surrounded by double layered walls, Rhodium had only two access gates. One was the southeast gate, and the other was the west gate. Those were the points which the twin cities attacked. At the time, Charles Di Kontarr had recently become a general in Rhodium¡¯s army and was chosen to command the west defensive army. Expecting their arrival from the southeast gate, most of the defences were concentrated on that gate. But the twin cities commander anticipated that, and decided to have a massive attack at the west gate while sending a smaller contingent to the other gate in order to keep them busy. The attacks on the west gate were relentless and by the third day, the defensive army was already at its limit, only one battalion retained their will to fight. That battalion was led by a young denary named Cain Loeclos. They were fighting at the front lines since day one but not a single member had died. All other battalions said they were the fiercest warriors of the front, reducing all enemies they encountered to corpses. As a reward for their bravery, the general decided to remove them from the front for a day and invited Cain to the commander tent for a talk. That had been his luck since, that night, the commander of the enemies troops sent a group of assassins to kill him. They would would have succeeded had it not been for Cain¡¯s appearance at the opportune moment. Charles had already been gravely wounded and rendered useless by one of the assassins when Cain arrived. In a swift battle, he overpowered the assassins and saved the general¡¯s life. Charles had to be removed from the battle to receive proper treatment but, before leaving, he put Cain in command of the whole army. On that single day, Cain¡¯s leadership made his army extinguish the twin cities attackers. The combatants say that Cain was always the first to engage the enemy and each of his swords swings brought down at least three enemy soldiers. In the end, Cain himself killed the twin cities commander in solo combat. Their army morale was so low and their ranks reduced so much, people said that battle had been the downfall of their empire. That victory earned Cain a knighthood and the title of Tiger of the West. ***** ¡°...and that¡¯s how that fella made us prevail over those bastards from the south.¡± Charles finally finished telling the tale of the Battle of the Tigers. He already showed some signs of drunkenness, since during the whole story, he¡¯d stop only to properly greet the newcomer guests or order more drinks. The count was now being overly familiar and even ended up indulging in some profanities. Nothing that Kvothe didn¡¯t appreciate, after all, Charles was the most influential man on these lands. Having him as an ally would be a great advantage. ¡°That was a great story.¡± Kvothe complimented the storyteller, ¡°You really have a way with words. I imagine your kids ask you bedtime tales every night.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°They surely do.¡± The count answered while laughing, ¡°It makes me thankful for having so many adventures in my youth to choose from.¡± Kvothe realized he had kept Charles from attending his daughter¡¯s guests for far too long. He wanted to hear more adventures and improve their relationship further but if he kept him longer, others might resent him. ¡°I would love to hear about those, but I¡¯m afraid I have already taken too much of your time.¡± Kvothe said without need to feign disappointment. ¡°No problems there.¡± Charles said cheerfully, ¡°You can come by any other day and I¡¯ll gladly tell you those tales. I have some books that might interest you as well, being Cain¡¯s disciple and all.¡± He changed greetings with Kvothe and Luiza - who had been mostly quiet - but as soon as they turned around he called them back for one final question. ¡°Can you tell me where you bought such beautiful clothes?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Kvothe answered with a smile on his mouth, ¡°You¡¯ve just met her.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± He asked surprised but soon realized, ¡°Cain¡¯s companion. Miss Lorraine Verich if I¡¯m not mistaken. Is she some kind of exclusive tailor?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Luiza answered excitedly, ¡°She¡¯s just a bit hard to find, but I can assure she¡¯s worth the search.¡± ¡°Please, tell me how do I find her then.¡± He asked politely. Luiza explained the location of her shop and rambled about how awesome Lorraine was. After her excitement was contained, the couple parted with Charles. The count began socializing with other people, and the couple went after Cain and Lorraine. They found Lorraine talking to a noble couple while Cain faded in the background. By the bored look on Cain¡¯s face, that was not the first time it happened that night. More and more people approached them, always asking about the clothes, making compliments and requesting the name of the artist. Each time Lorraine answered politely and blushed slightly under the nice words. The majority of people inquired about how to contact her and if she was available for custom requests. None of the nobles inquired about prices nor were worried about it, such beauty was priceless. After the thousandth group approached them about the clothes, Kvothe grew tired of it. He looked at Luiza, asking for an excuse to escape the tedious advertising job. She was quiet, eyes fixed in the dancing couples, shifting slightly under the music rhythm. That hypnotic sight put Kvothe under such trance that he asked something he had feared she¡¯d ask him. ¡°Luiza, would you give me the pleasure of this dance?¡± Truth be told, Kvothe did not dislike dancing, but by his accounts, he was just a level above feet stomping. All he had learnt about dancing was from his sister, who had infinite patience to teach him such things. After he got the motor skills and basic dance theory down, he would use his good rhythm to feign some dancing ability. But he usually felt ashamed to disgrace such beautiful art with his incomplete skills. Yet, looking at her, all his worries disappeared. ¡°I would be delighted to.¡± She answered with what he thought was a mocking bow. He took her hand and joined the other couples on the dance. The music that was playing by the orchestra was a slow waltz, easy to dance. A basic one-two spin, kind of dance. Kvothe extended his left arm midway, his palm up, waiting for Luiza to rest her hand over his. As soon as she put her hand over his, he firmly put his hand on her waist. Leading can¡¯t be done without a firm grasp had been a lesson he learned from his sister. His eyes met Luiza¡¯s and he began dancing. Even with his meager skills he could see her proficiency. That made him give her a bit more freedom, which she took advantage of. With slight movements she¡¯d tip him on what she would do next and Kvothe immediately adjusted his own movement to match hers. Soon, he realized they were dancing alone, and the other couples had stopped to watch them. He didn¡¯t care. Dancing had always fascinated him but he had never felt it was as easy or good as this. It didn¡¯t felt as if he was leading and she was following. The feeling he had was that they were moving as a single entity. Each step, turn or spin was made as if they were thinking all at the same time. Sudden changes in the music made Kvothe aware that it was coming to an end. He looked at Luiza waiting for some clue on how they¡¯d finish their espectacle. They were being watched by all of the nobility, they couldn¡¯t simply stop dancing. But all he saw in her eyes was delight that came from dancing, so he brushed off that feeling and let it flow naturally. At the small fade that announced the end of the waltz, Luiza put a bit more weight at Kvothe¡¯s guiding hand and he instantly knew what it meant. He pulled her body closer and their lips almost touched. She begun arching her back, trusting Kvothe with her body as he followed her in her descending motion. The music stopped and the room grew quiet while both faces stood apart only a few centimeters. A few seconds followed before a burst of applause erupted from the crowd. It hadn¡¯t been an grand and unexpected finale, but sometimes the simple things are effective if properly executed. Kvothe pulled Luiza up and they bowed slightly thanking the applause and left the circle of people. For a while all they weren¡¯t able to walk because people swarmed them with congratulating and thanking words for the spectacle. ¡°Wow!¡± Kvothe exclaimed as soon as they were left alone, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you danced that well?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t ask.¡± She answered with a mocking smile, ¡°You never told me you knew how to dance either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cause what I do can¡¯t be called dancing.¡± He answered honestly. ¡°Oh! Shut up! You¡¯re almost at the level of some guys I dance with...¡± She stopped as she realized she had revealed aspects of her real life. Usually people don¡¯t reveal real life stuff inside VR, unless they trusted the other person.The two however, had just met the other day. They were not on the sharing level yet. Kvothe remained silent and impassive while she blushed slightly about the revelation. He decided to pretend he didn¡¯t hear it so she would feel better. ¡°Anyway...¡± She began talking a few seconds later, ¡°You¡¯ve got good dancing instincts. Only problem is that you¡¯re a bit too stiff. Try relaxing a little, dancing should be fun.¡± Kvothe knew that already, but he was never able to relax much while dancing. He was always too mindful of his movements, worrying about every slight movement he made. The fear of hurting his partner was too great for him to relax. However, he nodded in agreement as if making note of it. ¡°Also...¡± She approached him and got into dancing position pulling his hand to her slender waist, ¡°The guiding hand should be firm, but not locked. You¡¯re keeping it too hard...¡± A sudden realization hit Kvothe. Once again, he had been analysing things from the wrong angle. A delighted laugh left his mouth and, in an spontaneous action, he pulled Luiza closer and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°You¡¯re a genius!¡± Luiza stood static without knowing what had happened. ***** Adriano woke up eager for the day that had arrived. His bedside clock told him it was 4 am now, fifteen minutes before the appointed time. A quick bath and breakfast later, and he was already logging into his Royal Road account. He had spent the last twelve days at an extreme training routine. He¡¯d limited his sleeping time to 4 hours to reduce the amount of wasted time. His usual hour long gym training was changed for high intensity interval trainings that took between fifteen minutes and half an hour. Ingame he spent the days at the training hall, honing his sword skills, and nights were with Lorraine, learning the necessary skills of being a proper tailor. Whenever he had full mana available, he casted his only skill, Imposing fear. At first for experimentation, learning how to control the mana use and flow. After understanding the nuances of it, he¡¯d cast it for training purposes. His skill was already at beginner level eight after only twelve days, reducing mana cost for casting by 40%. The first three days after the party were filled with interruptions on his training. Cain would use any excuse to come and see him, and tried to discreetly as an elephant, ask for informations about Lorraine. She did the same every time he began sewing, though a bit less explicit. At first it was cute, but within the three days his patience was wearing out and he decided to end it once and for all. He told Lorraine he¡¯d need her help in an important matter. They agreed on meeting in the training hall at noon. As on the days before that, Cain came invite him to share lunch together at noon. Lorraine arrived at that exact moment. Kvothe simply said he had solved the problem already, and apologized to Cain because he had already made plans for lunch. Both were blatant lies easily spotted by the two when Kvothe hinted Cain that he should invite Lorraine to share lunch together, but no one minded. Two hours later Kvothe returned to find the flirtatious couple in front of the training hall, which he purposefully ignored as he resumed his training. ***** The sun was already rising in Versailles when Kvothe completed the Login sequence. He had appeared 200m from his destination, the small house at the side of a sculpting shop. Cain already waited for him at the door, seemingly anxious. He did not know how the boy had fared the last few days of training. Lately, he had spent most of his time courting Lorraine, and felt a bit guilty for that. It was already the promised day; Cain¡¯s first free day since Kvothe started playing. If Kvothe was able to make the sword whistle, Cain would teach him his style¡¯s techniques and he would finally graduate from a being a mere noob to being a noob with some skills. That made a lot of difference in his mind. He smiled with confidence as he approached the master. ¡°Good morning, master.¡± He said greeting Cain, ¡°How are you today?¡± Seeing his relaxed estate, Cain¡¯s anxiousness vanished. Kvothe¡¯s expression made him wonder how talented that boy was, since his confidence could only imply he had figured it out already. ¡°I can see you¡¯re quite confident.¡± Cain said grinning, ¡°Shall we begin?¡± Kvothe nodded in agreement and took his sword from his inventory. ¡°Wait!¡± Cain stopped him, ¡°For now you will use that sword.¡± Cain pointed at the sword close to his personal scarecrow. A simple wooden sword, similar to all the others available at the training hall. Kvothe took it and was surprised. Since he had won the whistling sword, it was all he used to train. Despite being made from wood as well, the whistling sword weighed as if it was made of lead. It interfered with Kvothe¡¯s balance and speed while swinging the sword. However, now that he held the training sword, it felt as if he was holding a stick. ¡°Now, show what you¡¯ve learnt this past days.¡± Cain said smiling. Kvothe faced the scarecrow and changed the grip on the training sword. He focused on his target, brought the sword up and made a vertical slash. The speed of his slash was incomparably higher than when he used the whistling sword. He twisted his torso and used the momentum to make a follow up horizontal slash. His movements that were usually hindered by the sword¡¯s inertia, were now as fluid as possible and the decrease in stamina consumption allowed him to make thrice more consecutive hits before having to stop. As soon as he finished the whole sequence of movements Cain had taught him, Kvothe turned to face the master. Cain nodded approvingly at his pupil. ¡°That was a great display of skills.¡± Cain took another training sword from inside the house, ¡°Let¡¯s see how you cope against an opponent that fights back.¡± Kvothe gave Cain a grin and fell into a fighting stance, pointing the sword at him. Slowly circling him, Cain stood just outside the range of his sword, and fell into the same stance. They faced each other and the immense fighting aura from Cain begun affecting Kvothe. To counter it, he used his Imposing fear skill, draining all of his mana.Cain¡¯s imposing aura was reduced by the unexpected use of the skill. Kvothe hadn¡¯t told him about it, thinking such skill was not of his concern. Using the surprise as an advantage, Kvothe reduced the distance between him and the master making a horizontal slash from the left. His movement was too wide and Cain easily dodged, but Kvothe rotated his body midair, stabbing into the master¡¯s new position. Using his sword, Cain easily deflected the stab and returned a slash that was dodged by Kvothe with some difficulty. ¡°Good!¡± The master said as Kvothe stumbled trying to keep his balance, ¡°Let¡¯s see how far can you push me...¡± Two minutes later Cain stood over a fallen Kvothe, his sword touching the pupil¡¯s throat. The master removed the sword from Kvothe¡¯s neck and offered him a hand, which was promptly accepted. Kvothe¡¯s clothes were soaked with sweat. ¡°You are quite talented.¡± Cain told him, ¡°I took months to reach that level of swordsmanship.¡± Kvothe grinned. He was proud of receiving such compliment by his high level master. His respect for him had grown a lot since he heard the tale of his achievements. ¡°You flatter me.¡± He answered the master humbly, ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to hold up for more than two minutes against you.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ Stop trying to please me.¡± The annoyed master said, ¡°You still need to pass the last test.¡± Kvothe laughed at Cain¡¯s reaction and took out the whistling sword from his inventory without waiting for an order. He positioned in front of the scarecrow, sword on his left side, it¡¯s tip almost touching the ground. He slashed the scarecrow diagonally, yet no impact sound could be heard, only a single whistle. He slashed again, this time horizontally and, once again, only the whistle could be heard. As soon as the sword stopped moving from the horizontal slash, he made another, finishing with his sword on the opposite side of his initial pose. This time two whistles could be heard. He let out a crazy laugh and turned to the wide-eyed master. At the same instant, the scarecrow begun to fall apart, dismantling into 4 parts and the main post. A few seconds later it returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened. Kvothe stopped laughing and looked anxiously at the astonished Cain. Apparently he wasn¡¯t expecting such feat in such short time. One full minute was what Cain needed to return to his usual self. He looked at Kvothe suspiciously. ¡°Do it again!¡± He ordered. ¡°With pleasure.¡± Kvothe answered grinning. Three more slashes and the scarecrow fell apart again. This time he could only produce one whistle slashes. ¡°It appears you are the real deal.¡± Cain told Kvothe after a few more scarecrows had been vanquished. A dark expression covered Cain¡¯s face. Kvothe had expected amazement, but he couldn¡¯t understand what was wrong with the master. It appeared he was depressed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, master?¡± He decided to ask. ¡°How did you manage that?¡± Cain asked in a serious tone. ¡°Manage what?¡± Kvothe was puzzled. ¡°Cut the scarecrow so cleanly.¡± Cain explained, ¡°I was expecting you to achieve one whistle by today, but a cut like that should have taken years to master.¡± Kvothe stared blankly at Cain trying to understand what had happened. Ever since he made his breakthrough discover, every time he was able to get a whistle the scarecrow would be sliced cleanly. The tip that Luiza unknowingly gave him, was the wrist movement. Until then, he had been making the motion with his arm only. Adding the wrist to the slash amplified its speed and power, leading to the whistle. After ten days training all his slashes whistled, some even had two whistles. Those were quite more powerful than the ones with only one, slicing with almost no resistance. Without knowing how to answer Kvothe gave Cain a pretentious smile. ¡°I¡¯m just that good.¡± ***** ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll show you once more.¡± Cain repeated. He held the training sword on basic stance. It¡¯s ¡°blade¡± begun shining slightly, and Cain hit it against another of the stone dummies. The dummy was cleanly split in half, like a block of butter being sliced by a hot knife. Kvothe looked at the cut rock with amazement. ¡°Okay!¡± He told Cain, ¡°Teach me how to do it!¡± Despite being Cain¡¯s day off, they went to the second floor of the training hall. Avoiding curious eyes and ears was necessary to keep the technique a secret and the training hall was one of the most empty places in town. ¡°All right.¡± Cain said trying to calm the excited disciple, ¡°I will teach you, pup.¡± After a few moments of trying to contain the child within, Kvothe managed to calm himself. Cain was giving him a lecture on mana flow and its nuances, but he had most of it figured out already. Since he first connected to Royal Road, Kvothe has had a weird sensation. At first he ignored it, thinking it was just from being in a virtual reality, an oddity of sorts. However, as soon as he used a skill for the first time, he understood what it was; It was the mana flowing inside of him. After realizing it, his curiosity made him try out all things he could imagine, learning a lot about mana itself. As if his body was hot on a cold day, mana gave Kvothe the feeling that heat was being removed from his body. After a few seconds concentrating on it, Kvothe noticed it was not all that was. It was as if his body was breathing. Well, that might be misunderstood since there was no loss in the current mana. The in and out feeling happens constantly and all at once, so there is an equivalent exchange of mana. At the same time some mana leave your body, the same exact quantity enters, zeroing the final balance. When focusing a bit more, he begun to perceive a small flow inside him. It was as if huge volumes of fluids were swirling under his skin. That was mana itself. With a bit of concentration he was able to increase or decrease the density of mana at places. Of course, first thing he made after that discovery was concentrate it on his feet and legs and try jumping. It was useless, his legs strength was still the same. A few other tests told him that the place of concentration influenced skills. For concentrating the mana around the eyes made it more effective. He could also infuse objects with his mana, boosting their abilities. That is how the clean cut with swords was made, unfortunately that wasn¡¯t a skill, only a small bonus damage was added to the slash. ¡°...from your cuts, it appears you¡¯re already able to infuse the sword with mana. That¡¯s the basic form of this technique.¡± Cain had finished his lecture and was now going for the practical part of the lesson. He had brought out a few rocks from one of the training hall rooms. They were cylindrical with 50cm diameter and 120cm height. To make it a better target, they put it on a 60cm high platform, making the average height of a male human. His objective was to slice it as Cain had shown him. ¡°First thing is infusing your sword with mana.¡± Cain explained. Kvothe begun concentrating, making his mana converge in his hand and exit his body, entering the sword. Once inside the sword, the feeling of control on that mana reduced, but it still didn¡¯t count as used, since the mana still could return to his body while he had contact with the sword. Until he forced mana out of the sword or released the sword without making it flow back, there was no deduction from his mana. Releasing the sword with infused mana would make the mana vanish. Apparently it tried to balance things out at all times, returning to nature as soon as the control was released. That lost mana was slowly absorbed by the body from the nature. ¡°Good.¡± Cain was glaring at the sword, trying to see the mana flow, ¡°Now concentrate it on the edge without reducing the quantity of mana.¡± That proved harder than expected. Compressing mana was always troublesome, since it was always trying to flow freely. To do it, you must engage the mana in a battle of wills, your weapon against it being your honed concentration. At first Kvothe tried to slow the mana flow to a complete stop and then compress it. That proved a failure, since the build up pression made a complete stop impossible. Despite many attempts he wasn¡¯t able to solve that issue, so he tried another method. As a river flows from the source to a lake or sea, the mana flowed from the entry points to exits. It was a constant, infinite cycle, only changing if Kvothe willed so. The mana he infused the sword with, entered it from his hand and returned to it to complete its cycle. Kvothe forcefully broke that mana flow, isolating the mana inside the sword, and made it flow inside the sword itself. He looked at Cain, and the small nod told him that was the right path to follow. The issue at hand was now compressing it to fit the edge only. At first he tried stopping the whole cycle, but again that proved impossible. He tried many other approaches without success, until he decided to reduce the size of the mana stream. The mana begun flowing faster to compensate for the smaller flowing area, but it was possible to maintain that restriction easily. He reduced the flow area slowly and constantly, trying to feel the limits of his ability. When he could not perceive any further reduction he was left with a hair thin stream of mana at high speed. Then, it was as simple as moving mana around, and he was good at that already. ¡°Impressive.¡± Cain said while showing a smile, ¡°But we¡¯re not done yet. Let¡¯s change swords first.¡± Kvothe let the flow return to his body and put the whistling sword back into his inventory. He took the training sword Cain was offering him and looked at it. It looked feeble compared to the whistling sword, making him wonder the why of the trade. Cain perceived it and promptly explained him. ¡°What we¡¯re doing is quite risky for the blade. Until you¡¯re able to perform the skill perfectly, any error could cost you your sword.¡± At the time, that was one of Kvothe¡¯s biggest fears. The blade and the clothes he used on the ball was all he had to his name. ¡°As I said earlier, mana can be separated in four kinds. Since their behaviour matched, someone named them after the elements. Earth, water, fire and air. People¡¯s personality show their affinity to a certain kind of mana.¡± Kvothe listened attently at the explanation Cain was giving him. That was a nuance he hadn¡¯t perceived so far. ¡°For example, my affinity is earth. Stubborn and thick, is what my master called it. That affinity is so great most of my mana is composed of that.¡± Cain said laughingly. ¡°Erm...¡± Kvothe had a puzzled look on his face, ¡°What do you mean by behaviour, Master?¡± ¡°It might be better if you experience it by yourself.¡± Cain glared at Kvothe¡¯s body once again, scanning it up and down, ¡°You appear to be really well balanced, mana-wise. Try shutting your eyes and concentrate on the mana. Don¡¯t try to control it or you might miss it.¡± As ordered, Kvothe closed his eyes and begun concentrating, but even after a few minutes he still couldn¡¯t understand what the master meant. He was about to reopen his eyes and talk to Cain, when he felt it. The mana in his body wasn¡¯t flowing evenly throughout his body. It could be divided in smaller pools, each with its own flowing direction, speed and size. ¡°I see...¡± Kvothe said. Making an analysis of those pools, he could understand why they used the elements to refer them. Each had a distinct characteristic. The one which was obviously the earth mana, flowed slowly and steady. It occupied its own space without trying to expand, but never yielding either. Wild and greedy, fire mana tried to consume each and every space available, even if already occupied by another mana. The water mana flowed like a stream, waving its way through the others and ending in a swirling pool of itself. Lastly, the wind mana blew through any space it was given at faster speeds and lower density than the others. Kvothe opened his eyes and stared at Cain. The master looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something. Partly for drama, partly for teasing, Kvothe waited a few seconds before saying anything. ¡°I got it.¡± Kvothe said smugly, ¡°They¡¯re quite simple, these mana types.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Cain challenged him. ¡°Well...¡± Kvothe begun formulating his theories, ¡°The behaviour they¡¯ve shown can be utilized in many situations. What I¡¯ve done so far appears to be a crude reinforcement using mana, but using the correct type may yield different effects, though I¡¯m not so sure which would those be.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The master complimented his genius, ¡°If you had to decide which one to use to cut this rock, which would you choose?¡± ¡°Probably Fire.¡± Kvothe said after pondering for a moment, ¡°Assuming my hypothesis is correct, it¡¯ll raise the sharpness of the blade.¡± Cain looked at him with an interested face. Kvothe gave him a smug grin, assuming he had already given Cain the correct answer. ¡°Then do it.¡± Cain told him. Kvothe smugly took the sword and concentrated. Selecting only the fire mana, he moved it to the blade forcing on it same situation as before. However, this time the wooden blade¡¯s edge began glowing red and emit heat. Apparently fire mana acted on the molecular level, agitating it and raising the object¡¯s temperature. Thinking of the effectiveness of hot blades for cutting things, he made the slash. As soon as the blade touched the stone target, it broke in half. At the spot it touched only a small burn was visible. He couldn¡¯t understand what had happened. Had he been wrong about the fire raising sharpness? Even his mana had been deduced by the system, that had been technically a skill. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Cain said trying to reassure him, ¡°Your trail of thought was correct, Fire raises sharpness. Now tell why wasn¡¯t it able to cut through the stone?¡± ¡°Erm...¡± Kvothe had no idea, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one asking that?¡± ¡°I was wondering if you could answer.¡± Kvothe tried to theorize what had happened but his knowledge failed him. Blades and mana were something out of his knowledge spectrum. All he knew about them had been learnt from the manga and anime he had read and watched. He just shook his head, denying the master an answer. Cain begun laughing at his honest answer. ¡°At last! Something you couldn¡¯t figure out by yourself! I had begun thinking you were too good for me to teach you anything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t joke about it, master. I¡¯ve come this far because of your tutelage.¡± Kvothe said with a mocking grin. ¡°All right Mr Smarty Pants, if you don¡¯t want to know the reason...¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kvothe promptly cut him off, ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist such opportunity. Please, master, enlighten me.¡± Cain did not yield immediately. Some further persuasion was necessary until he forgave Kvothe¡¯s teasing. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple.¡± The master explained, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how sharp a knife is, if it is brittle, it¡¯ll break before cutting a stone.¡± ¡°Then I should also add Earthl?¡± Kvothe asked confuse. ¡°Not also, just earth.¡± Cain corrected, ¡°If you make it thin and hard enough, you won¡¯t need more sharpness.¡± That made so much sense, Kvothe felt stupid. Also, Cain had implied he couldn¡¯t use the other types of mana, so it was obvious that it would be Earth. Without waiting for Cain¡¯s order, Kvothe took another training sword and begun concentrating the Earth mana on the wooden blade¡¯s edge. He decided to make as thin as he could to amplify the sharpness. He tried cutting the stone again. This time the sword blade sunk halfway into the stone dummy and didn¡¯t break. Cain was again making an astounded face at Kvothe; The talent for mana handling the boy had was amazing. On the first try he had been able to cut into half the stone without making a single dent on the sword. Despite that, Kvothe¡¯s expression showed his dissatisfaction on the progress. He had hoped to be able to cut it through on the first try. Kvothe prepared for another slash. This time he had made the earth mana flow faster, thinking the higher motion speed would create a chainsaw effect. It worked as intended and he cleanly and easily cut the stone in half. However, those three slashes cost him 80% of his mana and he needed some time to manipulate the mana properly. Those would prove a problem in a battle so he went training manipulating mana faster. ***** Chapter 5 - Bunny Hunting ? Chapter 04 Despite Royal Road¡¯s pain reduction, the heat of the flames made it impossible for him to keep his eyes open. Feeling an intense heat on his leg, Kvothe looked down and saw his legs were on fire. The flames consumed his trousers and skin beneath it. Desperately, he began hitting the fire with his bare hands, putting down the flames, but hurting his hands in the process. ¡°Lorraine! Where are you?!¡± He heard Cain¡¯s desperate shouts somewhere close to him, but he could not see where he was exactly due to the smoke. Going through the infernal maze he tried to reach the back of the shop where Lorraine lived. On his way, he saw that all the clothes Lorraine had put her soul into making were burning. The wild fire made no distinction between a good or bad garment, it consumed them all. ¡°Lorraine! Are you here?¡± This time he was the one shouting, but the roughness of his own voice startled him. Smoke filled his lungs, as his throat dried up and a coughing fit struck him, yet he kept going. He didn¡¯t care about his own life for death meant only a day without playing. Lorraine on the other hand, would be gone forever. ¡°Kvothe! I found her, come over here!¡± Kvothe promptly searched his surroundings trying to locate where Cain¡¯s voice was coming from. The swordmaster was in front of the changing rooms, a few meters away. Jumping over the rubble that was on his path, he quickly joined Cain and realized why the master hadn¡¯t taken Lorraine out yet. A huge flaming pillar had fallen and was blocking the entrance to the changing room where Lorraine lay unmoving, sprawled out on the floor. ¡°Any ideas?¡± Kvothe hurriedly asked Cain. ¡°I tried lifting it...¡± Cain showed his burnt hands, ¡°but the beam is too heavy.¡± Kvothe looked around for a way to get to Lorraine, but all he could see was the fire that slowly consumed all their possible exit options. He called his inventory window and checked its contents. His water canteen would be useless in this situation, as would the clothes and barley bread he had. The last item was his whistling sword, but what good would it do in a situation like that? He closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind. Whenever he found himself in dangerous situations, his thoughts became so fast he couldn¡¯t understand them. As soon as he opened his eyes he began a calm analysis of his surrounding. Apparently, the only thing holding the building up was the burning beam that was blocking their path. Deciding on what to do, he took his sword out, took a deep breath and concentrated. ¡°Master.¡± He explained to Cain without opening his eyes, ¡°As soon as I cut this beam down, the building will collapse. Before that happens, you have to take Lorraine out of here.¡± ¡°Alright, but what about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll try clearing a path for us, but whatever happens, keep going. Do not come back for me.¡± Cain looked at Kvothe apprehensively, but nodded. He knew Kvothe was different from him and Lorraine; death meant nothing to him. Kvothe took another deep breath and focused on his mana. He needed it to be as sharp as possible so he would get a perfect cut. He took all the earth mana he had inside of him and concentrated it into a hair strand thin edge. Its speed was so ferocious he was barely able to contain it. Opening his eyes, he cut a downward diagonal followed by an upward one, making a V shape. As soon as the beam fell, Cain rushed inside and took Lorraine is his arms. Kvothe followed behind, deflecting the falling debris with his sword. Without wasting a second they left the building. Kvothe led, clearing a path for Cain that followed with Lorraine in his arms. Some flaming rubble fell on them and forced them to take detours, but they managed to leave that inferno alive and on time. Just a few seconds after they left it, the building fully collapsed, making the crowd that had formed move away slightly. ¡°Is she alive?¡± Kvothe desperately asked Cain, who had been checking her. ¡°Barely¡­ We must take her to a healer!¡± Kvothe promptly looked up, hoping to see a healer among the watchers. What he found made him shiver. ¡°Take her to Freya¡¯s temple.¡± Kvothe told Cain. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go!¡± The distressed Cain answered. ¡°I won¡¯t be going.¡± The master looked at him and understood it all in a second. Kvothe was clenching his teeth with enough strength to snap an iron bar. The aura around him was deadly, making every bystander shiver even with the blazing building nearby, all except two. Cain was one. The other was a man, clad in full plate armor. The man was grinning deviously. Cain noticed that man and immediately understood what had happened. His worries, however, were directed to Lorraine. ¡°I understand.¡± He told Kvothe, ¡°I¡¯ll leave them to you, but I¡¯ll be back.¡± Once again, he took Lorraine in his arms and began running the opposite direction from the grinning man. Kvothe watched as they went, making sure no one would go after them. As soon as they were out of his sight, he turned back to the grinning man. It was Boris, one of the henchmen from the Black Bunnies. Concentrating fire mana around his eyes, Kvothe activated Imposing Fear. Most of the crowd fled as expected, but Boris remained there, only slightly shaken from the skill. In an instant, Kvothe took his sword and began running at him. His HP was below 30%, he was low on MP and Boris¡¯ level was higher than his, but the anger he felt made him sure he would kill that man. He was about to slash Boris, when he saw a motion in the corner of his eyes. He tried to change his balance and deflect the slash with his sword, but his inertia made him tumble as soon as it was hit. He made a backwards roll and rose to his feet again. Two more men had appeared from around the corner and joined the fight. ¡°This is the perfect battlefield for our little showdown, don¡¯t you think, runt!?¡± Boris laughed, ¡°Now there¡¯s no one to stop me from kicking your ass.¡± His HP was now at 23% and his MP had recovered slightly, so he would be able to use his slashing skill once more. He looked at the men judging their gear and while he did it, a third one appeared. They held steel swords and wore low level armor. Judging from their equipment, they were around level 25. ¡°The boss told me to teach you a lesson. You shouldn¡¯t have helped that bitch saving her shop.¡± Boris spat the words at Kvothe, ¡°He said that we should burn the shop and wait for you to appear.¡± Kvothe disregarded that comment and charged. The closest man gave a step in and tried to slash him, but he dodged easily by swaying his body backwards. Using his left foot, he kicked the man¡¯s front leg, making the man lose his balance. As he tried to regain his balance, the man exposed his neck to Kvothe, who slashed it in a heartbeat.
Critical Hit
The second man tried to stab him, but he was prepared for that and spun to the side, using the momentum to cut the man¡¯s hand off. It hit the floor with a thump, but he didn¡¯t give it a thought before stabbing the man in the chest. ¡°Go get him!¡± Boris¡¯ voice was now distressed. Kvothe took his sword out of the one-handed guy¡¯s chest and used it to parry the blow of the third. With a quick glance he saw that the first guy had gotten to his feet and was coming at him from his back. He gave a step in the direction of the third man and buried his elbow in the man¡¯s face. Using that moment, he switched positions with the guy and got all of them in front of him. His MP was currently at 35, enough for one slash, so he wanted to make it count. Kvothe stood still, sword in hand, waiting for the men to approach him. The two men had become wary of him, moving cautiously. The third was on the floor, mourning for his lost hand. The men stood side by side, waiting for Kvothe¡¯s action, yet no one moved. Tired of waiting, Kvothe gave them a mocking grin and a small laugh. That was enough, and both the men attacked simultaneously. Dodging or using his sword to deflect their blows, he waited for the perfect moment. It soon arrived. When both raised their swords at the same time to cut down the apparently open Kvothe, he concentrated his mana and used the first form. The sword whistled and the slash went through both men with ease. Both their armors broke into pieces, leaving their chests open, and knocked them back, but their flesh was left intact. Kvothe cursed under his breath. He was hoping that the description meant it ignored defense, but apparently it meant heavy damage to defenses. However, the effect was devastating for the other side. The two men were now afraid of their opponent, so Kvothe took advantage of that and attacked fiercely. Despite being two, the men couldn¡¯t keep up with Kvothe¡¯s speed and he didn¡¯t let a single chance of hitting them slip. Every hit was aimed at a weak spot, critical hits were more common than the normal kind. Both men fell dead a couple minutes later and Kvothe grinned at the windows that appeared.
You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up!
Boris was nowhere to be seen, so Kvothe took the japtem they left on the floor and headed to where the last man stood. The man had stopped mourning his cut hand and held his sword with his left pointing at Kvothe. With a single hit of his sword, Kvothe removed the sword from the man¡¯s hand. He gave the man a sharp kick to the face, breaking the one-handed man¡¯s nose. ¡°P-Please! P-P-Please don¡¯t k-k-kill me!¡± The man pleaded, blood running out of his nose. ¡°That ship has sailed long ago, my friend.¡± He said grinning at the man, ¡°But how smooth that sail will be is up to you.¡± ¡°Wha- What?!¡± Kvothe sighed. ¡°I know who did it already.¡± He said nonchalantly, ¡°I don¡¯t care about the reasons. What I want to know is where are the Black Bunnies headquarters. Tell me and you¡¯ll have a quick, painless death. Don¡¯t tell me...¡± Kvothe pressed the point of his sword against the man¡¯s shoulder and began to move it slowly towards the hand. The skin began splitting, revealing muscles and bones below it. The man screamed in extreme pain while blood washed down his remaining arm. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you! I¡±ll tell you!¡± The man screamed. ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡± Kvothe replied while slowly moving the blade. **** Kvothe expected he would feel bad about taking the life of a man that wasn¡¯t even able to fight back, but all he felt was the satisfaction of revenge. He was now level 8 and had won 6 gold and 2 silver from the men. After distributing his points between strength and agility, he headed towards the general store. All his money was spent on bandages, since he couldn¡¯t afford anything fancy such as potions. As soon as he used a bandage to wrap himself, a window popped up.
Skill: You learned Bandage Skill Enables you to stop bleeding. Increases life of the wounded when tended.
After patching himself, Kvothe went to Freya¡¯s church to check on Lorraine and Cain. He needed a few minutes to explain the clerics that he was there just to visit someone, not to get a blessing himself. Only after that he was able to visit Lorraine without waiting in line. ¡°Is she gonna be ok?¡± Kvothe asked one of the healers that worked on Lorraine. ¡°She was really lucky.¡± The healer answered, ¡°Had she arrived a bit later, she¡¯d be dead by now. But all she needs now is some further healing and rest.¡± Kvothe approached Lorraine and saw her face for the first time after the incident. The left side of her head was blackened, something clearly done by some kind of blunt weapon. Some other bruises could also be seen on her body. The men who had set fire to her shop had beaten her unconscious before doing it. That realization made Kvothe¡¯s anger flare once again. He vowed he would not rest until all of the Black Bunnies were dead or in prison. Preferably dead. ¡°Where is the man that brought her here?¡± Kvothe inquired to the healer. ¡°He left a few minutes ago, after I assured him she would be fine.¡± He answered Kvothe, ¡°Though I¡¯m not sure where he went.¡± Since Lorraine was still unconscious and Cain was nowhere to be seen, Kvothe decided to leave. He had just closed the door, when a knight, full clad in shiny armor, approached him. ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡± Said the voice that appeared to be said from inside a bucket, ¡°Are you ready?¡± Despite the weird distortion, Kvothe was able to recognize the voice¡¯s owner. ¡°Cain?!¡± He questioned the man, ¡°Why are you wearing that?¡± His helmet was built to resemble a tiger ready to sink his fangs into his prey. On his chest was the royal army symbol, inlaid in gold to show his rank. To top it all, a longsword lay on his waist, the adorned handle was the only visible thing. The energy radiating from Cain was enough to make his enemies cower. ¡°Do you need to ask?¡± Cain answered gritting his teeth, ¡°You thought I would stand still and do nothing after what those bastards did?¡± Kvothe laughed. He couldn¡¯t think of anyone he would like by his side better than the monster that was his master. A man that had fought the true blood vampires was probably able to overpower those low level thugs. ¡°Let¡¯s go, master.¡± Kvothe said tapping the master¡¯s shoulder, ¡°We¡¯ve got some bunnies to hunt.¡± **** The Black Bunnies¡¯ headquarters was an old barracks in the heart of the town. It had been abandoned by the royal guard when the city grew and better positioned barracks were created. Rumors said it was impregnable, that there was no route one could sneak by unnoticed. That information didn¡¯t shake Cain or Kvothe. They had no plans of sneaking inside. The two men approached the barracks, Cain leading a few steps in front of Kvothe. With his adrenaline down, Kvothe began feeling a bit anxious not knowing what they would find or the strength of the enemy. The master¡¯s presence was a fortunate event and reassured him to some extend. A multitude of Black Bunnies¡¯ members crowded the entrance of the barracks. Apparently, Boris had warned them about Kvothe¡¯s coming. They were armed to the teeth, but their equipment was low level leather and a variety of iron weapons. Most of it would probably be considered rubbish by almost any other player. Unrestraining himself for the first time since he met Kvothe, Cain released an immeasurable amount of killing intent. Every person in a 100 meters radius stopped on their tracks, even Kvothe who had been expecting it. Cain charged at the enemies at sound speed and swung his sword, a single slash taking down 4 enemies. Amazed at the display of strength from the master, Kvothe forgot his anxiety and charged. Some of the enemies had already recovered from Cain¡¯s fighting spirit and attacked Kvothe as soon as he got to the front line. The number of black bunnies had easily exceeded a hundred, but a great part of them had already fled after their arrival. Kvothe greeted his enemies with a waist high slash. The ones they were facing could not be more than level 10 and their skills were laughable. Their attacks were sloppy and slow, their defenses wouldn¡¯t last more than a few seconds against any amateur fighter. Even Kvothe with his few levels was able to obliterate them with only a few slashes. The enemies didn¡¯t last long, but the sheer amount was enough to be problematic. After a few minutes of fighting Kvothe¡¯s HP got below the 50% mark. His arms and legs ached from the cuts he received. Fighting multiple enemies proved harder than he expected, even with them being that unskilled. As soon as he finished his twelfth foe, he called Cain. ¡°Master! Can you handle them for a few? I need to heal up¡± Cain finished his enemies with a single strike and approached Kvothe, protecting the pupil from any blows and obliterating anyone that approached. Kvothe took a few of his bandages out and promptly wrapped himself. It recovered some of his HP and boosted his HP regen. Making use of the rest, he distributed the points from the levels he gained in this fight. Rested and recovered, he rejoined the fight at Cain¡¯s side. They took 14 more minutes to finish the almost 70 men that remained protecting the entrance of the headquarters. As soon as they were done with it, Kvothe bandaged Cain and himself. The swordmaster complained, saying there was no need for such thing, but Kvothe was adamant. More than his own, Kvothe feared Cain¡¯s death. They entered through the main gate. To be accurate, Cain took it down with one slash and they killed another swarm of low levels that had tried to escape the first carnage by locking themselves inside the barracks. Suffice to say that it had been a foolish attempt. Kvothe and Cain found themselves in a rectangular shaped room, filled with tables and benches in a canteen fashion. Four doors other than the one they came in from, could be seen leading to the insides of the barracks. After checking they discovered that two of those led to the empty kitchen and an almost empty weapon storage. The other two hid stairs that led downwards and a corridor that led to the back of the barracks. They had two choices, split and risk running into a strong enemy alone or go together and give the men a chance to escape. Kvothe was now level twelve and confident he could take on any level 50 out there; Cain was an unstoppable fighting machine. To top it all off, they had no intention of letting anyone avoid their wrath. Cain took the stairs, leaving Kvothe with the corridor. Without Cain¡¯s company and backup, Kvothe became more aware of his surroundings. His senses became sharper but all the sounds he could hear were from Cain¡¯s side, metal clashing on metal and screams of pain. Instead of making him relax, that made him tense up. In games, whenever he found an empty hall to rest a huge battle or a boss fight was just ahead and, despite the realism, Royal Road was still a game. Kvothe checked the items he had collected from the fights so far. It was mostly rubbish. Items no one would even think about using, but he was desperate. He took a cracked leather armor, a hard leather helmet, a worn out pair of boots and a mismatched pair of leather gloves that would be more fit in a smithy than in a battleground. He also used some bandages, trying to boost his health regeneration. He looked at some of the dropped swords, but none of them looked as reliable as the whistling sword. Despite not being identified, it had done a great job so far, he would not toss it aside for a lousy basic iron sword. Looking at himself he could not help but laugh; his appearance was hilarious. The mismatching color of his attire made him look like a Picasso painting. He wondered if he¡¯d be able to fight the boss or if it would die from laughing at him before he reached it. The corridor he was following made sudden turns, making him even more anxious. Every time he found a corner, he would peek from behind the wall for a few minutes before showing up. Every time a door appeared on the wall he silently and slowly checked inside just to discover them empty. His progress was slow and wearing, but still, he didn¡¯t let himself slack. After another turn Kvothe saw the end of the corridor. It finished with an wooden door slightly larger than he expected to see. He checked his stats and used another bandage to boost his health regeneration. He was slightly apprehensive about what he was about to face. If it were anything slightly resembling a boss, he would be screwed. Positioning himself by the door, taking care to conceal his whole body behind the wall, he slowly opened it. Nothing happened, so he tried peeking. As soon as his face appeared, a bolt flew past it and sunk into the wooden door. Kvothe retreated back to the wall so fast he hit his head on it. He had been able to see only three people inside the room. Two options were presented to him; wait for them outside of the door or charge in and face them directly. The prudent path was obviously the first one and any other day that would be his choice. However, the three men inside were the same he met the first time he went to Lorraine¡¯s shop. Without entering their line of sight, Kvothe scanned the inside of the room. It was cylindrical with pillars on the outer edge. A huge stone round table sit in the middle of the room, a map of the Versailles continent carved on its top. That had probably been a strategy room, used by the high ranked military to hold meetings. Kvothe gave another quick look at the men and dived after another bolt sunk into the wooden door. He rolled on the floor and stopped right behind a column, using it as shield. More bolts passed by him while he got to his feet. The three men were on the opposite side of the room from him, using crossbows to try and hit him. The table was the only thing between him and them. ¡°Give up, boy!¡± The black bunnies leader shouted, ¡°There¡¯s nowhere to run now.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Kvothe shouted back, ¡°That means you¡¯re right where I want you to be.¡± Crossbows are different from bows in more than a way. They¡¯re more steady and can shoot further. To use a bow some training is needed but even a infant could use a crossbow without any issues. The problem lay in the reload time. While a skilled archer can shoot more than one arrow in a second, to reload a crossbow at least half minute was needed. At least that was the only weakness Kvothe could remember it had. They could overcome that by not shooting at the same time as they had been doing, but there was a way to force them all to shoot at once. ¡°With that aim of yours I don¡¯t know why I bothered hiding¡± Kvothe said leaving his protective pillar. A bolt flew at his direction and he dodged by predicting its path. The one who shot it was Boris. Kvothe looked at him and smirked. ¡°Nowhere to run to now, coward.¡± Kvothe concentrated fire mana around his eyes and used the Imposing fear skill. His target this time was the other henchman. The fear struck him and he dropped his crossbow, retreated and hit the wall. His eyes were the same of a rat cornered by a cat, he was out of commission already. The leader of the black bunnies shivered uncontrollably, trying to aim at Kvothe. He shot, but Kvothe deflected the bolt with his sword despite the fact it wasn¡¯t going to hit him. ¡°You really think you can run away with what you did?¡± Kvothe laughed, ¡°Only death awaits you now.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The man squinted at Kvothe¡¯s sword and curled into fetal position, trying to hide his head with his hands. ¡°You weaklings!¡± Boris screamed at the two men, ¡°He¡¯s just a faggot and you¡¯re afraid of him.¡± Kvothe looked at him and gave another smirk. ¡°Says the guy that ran away from me a couple hours ago.¡± Boris began reloading his crossbow and Kvothe dashed at him. Jumping over the stone table he tried slash Boris. Raising the crossbow, Boris tried blocking the slash. It was cut into two pieces and Boris had to back away or would have been hit by the sword. Despite his actions, Boris was still hit by Kvothe¡¯s sword, but his steel chestplate protected him from the damage. Raising his bulky arms to his back, he drew his greatsword from its sheath, skillfully holding it with the proper two-handed grip. Kvothe remained over the table, taking advantage of the higher ground and the limited amount of openings it allows. Boris slowly moved forward and suddenly made an horizontal slash at Kvothe¡¯s knees with a speed that shouldn¡¯t be possible for someone his size. Kvothe reacted on time and blocked with his sword, but as soon as the swords collided he knew he had made a mistake. There was no way he could block an attack that fast from an object as heavy as an greatsword. It blew his guard and was going for his knees. He rolled sideways to avoid it but wasn¡¯t fast enough. The sword hit his left knee and made a huge gash on it. As soon as he finished his rolling he made a slash aiming for Boris¡¯ face. Even with Boris swaying back, Kvothe managed to land a gash. Blood began flowing from Boris¡¯ face around the grin his mouth was making and dripping from his chin. With hp at ninety percent, Kvothe brought himself to his feet, trying to ignore the pain coming from the cut on his knee. Had it been real life he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to move at all. Boris began attacking relentlessly but Kvothe dodged it all since he knew he couldn¡¯t block it from that position. His movements however, were hindered by the injured leg. Moving them was getting harder and sometimes he was scratched by Boris sword, giving him some new wounds, but none of them as serious as the one on his knee. The higher ground that should have been an advantage was making Kvothe¡¯s life more difficult. After realizing that, Kvothe rolled over one of Boris¡¯ slashes landing behind the huge man. That action caught the villain by surprise, so Kvothe promptly spun making a slash, only to but only hitting air. A few meter in front of him was the two men subdued by the Imposing fear, but Boris had vanished into thin air in the milliseconds Kvothe took to make the spinning slash. ¡°Shit!¡± Kvothe murmured. A sense of dread afflicted him, something was approaching him from behind. He rolled forward a second too late and a sharp blade cut from his left shoulder to the middle of the back. He got to his feet a little distance away and looked at who had hit him. Standing three meters from him was Boris, his greatsword tainted by Kvothe¡¯s blood. ¡°What the...¡± Kvothe couldn¡¯t understand how that was possible. Boris should have been hit by his attack but instead the giant man was the one attacking his back. That could only mean he could move even faster than he had been so far. Kvothe smiled. ¡°Thank God!¡± He said to himself, ¡°If it kept being that easy of a game, there would be no fun at all.¡± Boris was something that could be compared to a low level Boss. Something that should be fight with lots of patience or a big party. Since Kvothe as alone, patience it was. After being hit by that slash, his HP was at 30%. Any other slip like that would be the end of him. ¡°What are you smiling at, you pipsqueak?¡± Boris asked in confusion. Kvothe looked at Boris and his smile turned devilish. When fighting, there¡¯s no time to think. Things like faster thinking or slowing of time just exist in movies and books. The body releases so much adrenaline during a fight that it seems like just a second has gone by before it ends. Trying to think about your actions just slows you down, making you late to react. What determines the results of a clash is the concentration and ability to adapt to the opponent. Martial arts, and fighting in general, are based on a set number of movements that you use according to the situation. Having more movements helps, but knowing how to effectively use them is the key to be a good fighter. Kvothe¡¯s set was extremely limited, but he could overcome that using his knowledge. Thanks to it, Kvothe was able to predict most of Boris¡¯ movements from the few blows they had traded. He knew that Boris would usually follow a diagonal slash with an horizontal one. He also knew that if he tried a rising slash, Boris would dodge by going to the right. He knew Boris¡¯ left arm had been injured once from the way he protected his left side more than his right. ¡°I was just thinking on what I¡¯m going to do after I¡¯m through with you...¡± Kvothe answered as he lowered his guard, ¡°I image that rod you¡¯re using might fetch a good price.¡± It was obviously baseless arrogance, yet Boris¡¯ face became red. A vein in his forehead was visible from far away and looked like it was about to explode. His anger made him go berserk and rush at Kvothe. Despite what is is taught by movies and such, being angry doesn¡¯t make a person stronger or better at fighting. All anger does is cloud your judgement and disturb your concentration. Nothing good comes from anger, or any strong emotion, during a fight. The best is to remain calm and focused. Boris used a upwards diagonal slash that Kvothe dodged by backstepping. As a follow up, Boris stepped in and made a horizontal slash, chest-high. Kvothe dove in and aimed at Boris¡¯ front knee, hitting it with all his strength. Through the knee protection, blood began flowing and going down his leg. Kvothe aimed at the gap the armor had on the armpit and tried stabbing it, but Boris was faster. Using some kind of footwork skill, Boris put distance between them. It was probably the same move he had used to position himself behind Kvothe before. His injured knee, however, made it impossible to make the sudden turns from the skill and he fell three steps from Kvothe. As soon as he raised his head, Boris saw Kvothe¡¯s sword coming in his direction. By reflex, he rolled sideways, barely avoiding the strike. As he forced himself to his feet, Boris¡¯ face showed the pain he was feeling. Kvothe would not waste such perfect opportunity. He attacked relentlessly, forcing Boris to retreat and defend himself using all he had. The pace of the fight was in Kvothe¡¯s hands, and Boris realized it. In a desperate attempt to recover, Boris threw a wild swing without aiming properly, allowing Kvothe to easily dodge. That kind of reckless behaviour was exactly what Kvothe had been waiting for. The full plated man was now open to be attacked however Kvothe desired. Since the fight began, Kvothe had been exchanging his mana into earth, knowing it would be the key to his victory. He concentrated all of it on the edge of the blade, leaving his body without a single drop of mana. There was so much mana he had more trouble than usual to containing it. As he made the upward slash, the blade went through Boris so easily Kvothe feared he had missed. Kvothe¡¯s MP and stamina indicators emptied from that single attack. Boris flew backwards from the strength of the blow. His back hit a wall and he stood there, motionless with a scream of pain stuck in his throat. His armor split in half and fell down, leaving only a leather shirt to protect the big man¡¯s torso. Boris began sliding down until he sat on the floor. Kvothe was recovering from the stamina depletion when Boris stopped gasping for air and was able to breath again. With Boris¡¯ armor gone, Kvothe could inflict him some real damage. Kvothe began walking to his fallen foe. Boris tried retreating but the wall on his back made it impossible. He took another slash from Kvothe¡¯s sword. Considering Kvothe¡¯s lack of mana and low level, the damage wasn¡¯t that high, but the effect of a direct hit without armor was still devastating and inflicted a lot of pain. Boris rolled sideways to avoid another attack from Kvothe. He got up and tried fighting back, but his desperation was evident. His attacks were sloppy and had no aim. Every time he randomly swayed his sword, he was left wide open for another of Kvothe¡¯s attack. Mercilessly, Kvothe slashed Boris at any opportunity, reducing hit by hit the other man¡¯s HP. Realizing Boris was close to his death, Kvothe picked up the pace of his attacks. Even in its weak estate, a single slash from Boris would be enough to finish him up. He felt that the longer the fight extended, the more chances of screwing things up. He attacked Boris fiercely, aiming at vital spots and causing as much damage as his stamina would allow. A howl left Boris mouth and he tried one last attack, he had reached his limit. Kvothe looked at the slow incoming attack from above but stayed put. He positioned his own sword down and waited for the right moment and slashed. The swords clashed right above his head. Sparks flew from the point where they touched each other. Kvothe dodged as a piece of metal that flew past his face. Boris continued with his motion and his sword touched the floor, except it was just one third of the length now. He raised the broken sword and looked at it. The shocked, hopeless expression on his face drew a smile from Kvothe. With slow steps, Kvothe approached Boris. The shaken Boris didn¡¯t even move, all he did was shake in fear of the approaching foe. Only a few centimeter kept Kvothe and Boris apart. Kvothe looked into the man¡¯s eyes as he drove his blade through Boris¡¯ guts. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have messed with her.¡± He whispered as he gave the blade a twist. Boris disappeared into white light and gold and a pair of boots appeared instead. Kvothe picked it all and slowly moved to the other man.
You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up!
Kvothe collapsed on the floor. He was exhausted and the dullness from the adrenaline had begun fading. His knee and back pain intensified greatly. Slowly moving, he took some bandages from his inventory and rolled them around his knee and his torso. Immediately the cuts began mending and the pain reduced to a bearable level. Opening his stats window he added the newly received points and saw something on the edge of his vision. He looked to the other side of the room and was impressed to see that the black bunnies leader and the other henchman were still there. ¡°Good boys!¡± He said as he approached them with a smile, ¡°At least you spared me from having to chase you.¡± Concentrating his mana on the tip of the sword, Kvothe stabbed the henchman through the eye. That single attack was enough to turn him into nothing. Apparently the true ¡°boss¡± monster had been Boris. Kvothe collected the silver coins that appeared on the floor and turned to the leader. ¡°Your turn now?¡± He gave the shivering man a friendly smile, ¡°I want to ask you one thing before that, though.¡± The man turned around and began crawling away from Kvothe. ¡°C¡¯mon! Don¡¯t be like that.¡± Kvothe said as he slowly chased the other man, ¡°I might even let you go if you answer me.¡± Seeing the last black bunny wouldn¡¯t stop, Kvothe kicked him in the ribs. The man rolled up and sprawled on the floor. Kvothe stabbed the sword in between the man¡¯s legs, near the man¡¯s manhood. ¡°You know, I can make you feel a lot of pain if I want.¡± Kvothe said in a low cold voice, ¡°But I¡¯m giving you a chance to go free.¡± ¡°W-Wh-What do you want to know?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been stealing from people for a long time...¡± Kvothe crouched to get to the other man¡¯s height and look him in the eyes, ¡°Where do you hide it all?¡± ¡°I-I-I c-can¡¯t s-say!¡± ¡°I try to be a good guy...¡± Kvothe said to no one as he stabbed the man¡¯s arm, ¡°But you guys make it difficult for me to remain patient.¡± The black bunnies¡¯ leader howled in pain and Kvothe slowly moved the blade along the man¡¯s arm. ¡°Please! Please, stop!¡± The man shouted, ¡°I can¡¯t say or they might kill me for not paying their money!¡± Kvothe moved a blade a bit more. ¡°Don¡¯t say and your death will be certain, and sooner.¡±Kvothe sighed, ¡°This is your last chance, if you don¡¯t tell me now, I¡¯ll send you to meet your friends...after a lot of pain.¡± Kvothe removed the sword from the man¡¯s arm and stabbed the leg. The man screamed in pain, much louder than before. ¡°Its in a warehouse a few blocks from here.¡± ¡°I need more than that.¡± Kvothe said while twisting the blade, ¡°Where exactly is it? How many people are guarding it? Do I need a password to get in there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a green metal door two blocks west from here! There are six people guarding it! The password is Autumn leaves! Now please, let me go!¡± Kvothe removed the sword from the man¡¯s leg. ¡°Was it that hard?¡± Kvothe said with a friendly smile on his face. The black bunnies¡¯ leader dragged his body away from Kvothe and on the door¡¯s direction, without taking eyes from him for a second. A metal clank could be heard and Kvothe smiled once again. ¡°You¡¯re done on your side as well?¡± He asked to the knight that was at the door. ¡°Yes, there were only small fry on my side.¡± Cain answered, ¡°What about this guy?¡± ¡°He is my present to you.¡± Kvothe answered while leaving the room, ¡°The order to attack Lorraine came from his mouth.¡± Leaving the building without looking back, Kvothe felt relieved when he heard the scream from the black bunnies¡¯ leader and the sudden silence that followed. To his surprise a window popped up in front of him.
Fame increased by 100
The Black Bunnies terrorized the streets of this city for a long time, but through courage and determination you finished their reign of terror. The oppressed people of Rhodium are thankful to your deed, and the city can now shine once again. You have earned a title: Hero of the artists. Throughout the whole Versailles continent, tales will be told about your name. And every artisan will be sure to show you kindness for your good deeds.
**** He headed to the warehouse, hoping that the news about the attack hadn¡¯t reached them yet. As soon as he got there, he knocked at the green door and waited for a response. ¡°What¡¯s the password?¡± A voice came from behind the door. ¡°Autumns leaves.¡± Kvothe answered in a calm voice. The door opened before him and Kvothe entered without hesitation. The door closed behind him and a sword tip touched his back. Kvothe raised his hands, taking them far from his sword handle that was in its sheath on his hips. ¡°W-What is wrong?¡± He asked nervously. ¡°Who are you?¡± The man questioned, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m new...Boss sent me to check on you guys, see if everything was ok over here.¡± He had thought over the things that could happen, and decided that story would be plausible. ¡°Why¡¯d he do that?¡± Another man asked still suspicious of Kvothe, ¡°He¡¯s never done that before.¡± ¡°S-Some guys attacked the base.¡± Kvothe replied still nervous, ¡°He thought they had attacked here as well.¡± ¡°Someone attacked the base?!¡± One of the man shouted, ¡°Should we go there?¡± ¡°N-No need...¡± Kvothe said, ¡°It¡¯s all quiet already.¡± The man removed the sword tip from Kvothe¡¯s back. He breathed relieved. They hadn¡¯t heard about the attack and weren¡¯t suspicious of him anymore. ¡°Good.¡± The man said, ¡°Its all good in here, no one has appeared so far.¡± ¡°And the money and merchandise? Can we check it?¡± Kvothe asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Another man answered, ¡°Its over here.¡± The man took Kvothe to a back room where a huge amount of crates and items were stashed. In the middle was an enormous wooden chest. ¡°It seems to be all in order.¡± The man said opening the chest that was full of gold coins. ¡°Yes, it appears so.¡± Kvothe smiled deviously as he unsheathed his sword. **** When he left the last smithy, Kvothe was grateful for being finally free from the excess weight. From all the things he had gotten, only a few unidentified items remained; A few rings and weapons that he thought he would be able to get more money than was offered, and a few apparently worthless items. All the rest he had sold to the smiths, tailors and jewelers of Rhodium. Even the drugs he found were sold to alchemists to make medicine. He had more money than he expected to receive from that thanks to the title¡¯s effect. Expecting to meet Cain and Lorraine, he went to Freya¡¯s temple. He was about to go inside when someone held his shoulder. It was Cain, back in his usual clothing. ¡°You¡¯re here already?! How is Lorraine?¡± Kvothe questioned his master. ¡°She recovered and left before I arrived.¡± Cain replied with a worried voice, ¡°Any idea where she could be?¡± ¡°Actually, I do.¡± Kvothe turned and headed to the place where knew she would be; Her shop. Or at least what was left of it. For the longest time, the shop had been her whole life. She challenged every thug in Rhodium to keep it. There was nothing more important to her. They arrived after a few minutes of silent walking through Rhodium. The fire had been put out, but some smoke was still coming from the building. Only ashes remained from what was once Lorraine¡¯s pride and joy. She was in front of the store, tears rolling down on her face. Her eyes tried to look beyond rumble and see that it had all been a bad dream and she would soon wake and her shop would still be there. Unfortunately reality wasn¡¯t that sweet. All her merchandise and tools had become cinders, and all money she had, she used to pay her debt. Kvothe was about to approach Lorraine when Cain held his shoulder. Turning his head, Kvothe looked into Cain¡¯s eyes and understood what he wanted to say. Nodding in agreement he gave passage for Cain. ¡°Lorraine...¡± Cain called. His voice was low and gentle, as if talking to a scared kitten. She didn¡¯t turn or reply to him, so he approached her and touched her shoulder. She looked at him, the tears in her eyes sparkling like diamonds. ¡°Cain.¡± She said as she turned and burrowed her face on his chest, ¡°Why have they done it?! I can¡¯t understand!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I know the reason they¡¯ve done it, but I can assure you they¡¯re never going to do it again.¡± Lorraine hugged him and began sobbing. It was the first time Lorraine made body contact with Cain and he hadn¡¯t blushed. His eyes showed a conviction as hard as steel, and he hugged Lorraine back, holding her tight. Tears began rolling down his face and his expression became pained. ¡°I¡¯m so relieved you¡¯re ok.¡± Cain said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d have done without you.¡± Their embrace became even tighter and the few tears became a waterfall. It was a touching sight, something that filled Kvothe with relief and sadness. What had happened wasn¡¯t something Lorraine deserved in any way at all. Why was life so unfair? A few minutes passed and both calmed down. They released their embrace and walked to the middle of the wreckage. Kvothe carefully approached them, but decided to entertain himself by quietly messing with the remains of the store. ¡°What do I do now?¡± Lorraine asked no one, ¡°I¡¯ve nothing left.¡± Kvothe raised his head and looked at her. She had her back turned to Cain, who looked at her but was lost in thoughts. Kvothe was about to say something like, they would help her when Cain said something that took him by surprise. ¡°Marry me.¡± Silence. One that engulfed all and left no other sound be heard, a silence heavy as lead, a silence almost tangible, wrapped them like a blanket. Lorraine turned around, her face showed complete shock. ¡°I-I mean...¡± He began babbling, ¡°I¡¯m not rich or anything, but it¡¯s enough to live with. I also have a house¡­ It¡¯s not big but...¡± Cain stopped and took a deep breath. ¡°Before I met you, I had given up on love. I thought I had been born for the sword and by the sword I would die, but then you appeared. At first I thought you were Freya that came from heavens, but no, it was much better.¡± He took another deep breath and gave a step in her direction. ¡°Not even in my wildest dreams did I think I would meet someone as beautiful, gentle and caring as you. Someone that viewed past the thick headed swordsman and saw me for who I really am. Meeting you made me sure I could love, and be loved.¡± Cain got to his knees and took Lorraine¡¯s hand in his. He looked deep inside of her eyes, past the bruises and scratches that covered her face. What he said didn¡¯t come from his head, it wasn¡¯t something rational. He was telling her what filled his heart. ¡°I know I¡¯m not worthy of you, and probably will never be, but I want to spend my life trying to give you at least a tenth of what you¡¯ve given me. Will you give me that opportunity? Will you marry me?¡± Chapter 06 ? VV READ THIS VV Spoiler : As always, a thanks to every one of my beta readers and PRs. I know I''m not an easy to handle person, but please bear with me :P This chapter took a little longer than expected...But I have a reason for that. I was working on the new fanfic section on the website Now you can find your favorite FFs easily. As always, thank you for reading and for the feedback. If you are want something better than this to read Check Claret. An FF by my buddy Innotui. Also, check out The Ranker by SnowMelts. Both are awesome writers that deserve your praises. See you next Chapter o/ Chapter 6 - Tales of the past - Part 1 ? Chapter 05 ¡°No!¡± All grew silent once again. ¡°No! No! No!¡± Not a single twirp or cicada noise could be heard. Such was the silence that wrapped that place. ¡°Stop that!¡± Kvothe shouted angrily, ¡°Just do as we agreed.¡± He had always hated dealing with people, especially when he needed their services. Strangely enough, when people are being paid for a service, instead of making the best they can offer, they do the sloppiest shit they can. Silence was broken by the city bells announcing it was already 6pm. Kvothe sighed giving up. ¡°Look, I have to go now.¡± He told the other player, ¡°When I return I want it as you said you would do. The way I agreed to pay for. You do that or I¡¯ll hire someone else and you¡¯ll stay without job and payment.¡± Without waiting for an answer, Kvothe turned his back to the man and left. His shift at the tailor shop was about to begin. For the last couple weeks he had been working for one of the most famous tailors in town. The store was at the best location in Rhodium, the plaza. It used to be at the side of a vacant place, but it was now under construction. ¡°Good evening!¡± Kvothe greeted the customers and co-workers as he arrived. The store always had a huge influx of customers, but since Kvothe began working there it was full all the time. His clothes were sold practically the moment they hit the shelves and he had to raise the costs of his custom made clothes three times so the demand wouldn¡¯t overburden him. The owner was so pleased he hired Kvothe an assistant to help him with the production. ¡°Good evening, sir.¡± His assistant said, ¡°We have three clients requiring custom clothes waiting for you already.¡± Kvothe sighed. The over polite attitude of the girl didn¡¯t fit him. It made him feel older than he was. ¡°Nessa, I told you to just call me Kvothe already.¡± He took out the equipment the store had obtained for him. A set of high quality needles and lines that enhanced his skills. He rolled up his sleeves and entered the inner room of the store. ¡°Good evening...¡± He looked at the customers, ¡°Ladies. My name is Kvothe. What can I help you with?¡± Three girls were sitting on a sofa at the furthest wall from entrance. Like most women that played Royal Road, their characters reflected their ideal of beauty which, to Kvothe, was obviously different from their true appearance. He could see how artificial that beauty was, and to him it felt ugly. Nonetheless, he treated them courtly. ¡°We got this,¡± The girl in the center handed him some kind of pelt, ¡°from a high level dungeon we went to. Can you do us something pretty with it?¡± Kvothe took the white pelts and immediately identified them. They were white direwolf pelts, a mid two hundred level monster. He looked at the girls again, this time checking their equipments. The strongest of the trio couldn¡¯t be higher than level 70. It was obvious they had bought the pelts and were trying to show off with them. ¡°You know...¡± Kvothe said, ¡°This is a high level material...¡± The girls eyes began sparkling. ¡°But...¡± He continued, ¡°They¡¯re not the right kind to make a good garment.¡± A grim spread through them like an ola in a football game. They acted as if they world had just collapsed and all hope was gone. Seeing that, Kvothe couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t be mean.¡± One of the girls said, ¡°It was really hard to get those.¡± Kvothe stopped laughing and checked the pelts once again, its leather was quite resilient and probably had good magic resistance. He wouldn¡¯t be able to do much with it, but a smith would likely pay a lot of money for it. ¡°I can offer you a deal.¡± Kvothe said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep this and in exchange I¡¯ll give you something that is at the same level, but that is good for tailoring.¡± The girls got up and hugged him, thanking him again and again. He went to the back and began selecting a few materials from the stock. When he returned, he had an ample variety of material for their choosing. Cheerful like twelve year old girls, they went through all the materials while Kvothe explained their origins, qualities and parameters. In the end they chose three different materials that were ideal for refined clothes confection. While asking their preferences in dresses, he began taking their measures. From a nearby table, he took paper and charcoal and made some sketches and wrote down some numbers. Immediately he began working on the fabrics, cutting and sewing, marking and testing. Twenty minutes later he gave the girls their dresses and lead them to the changing rooms to try them out. ¡°Wow! This fits so well!¡± ¡°Yeah! And it¡¯s so pretty!¡± ¡°Oh! My! God! I look like a goddess.¡± A smirk of pride appeared on Kvothe¡¯s lips. He had grown used to it already, but being praised always felt so good¡­ ¡°Can you step outside, so I can check for corrections?¡± He asked the girls. They exited the changing rooms and he looked at them. Like an artist after a job well done, he was proud of his work. It fit each of the girls really well, accentuating their good features. Kvothe began marking a few places to make some adjustments and they returned to their old clothes. He made the adjustment and they tried it once more. ¡°Perfect!¡± Kvothe said with puffed chest and a smile of satisfaction on his face. The girls blushed slightly, misunderstanding his comment. He didn¡¯t bother to correct it, a simple compliment harms no one, au contraire, they were great for boosting self confidence and raising intimacy, not that they were NPCs or had an intimacy stat. Kvothe noticed one of the girls analysing something intently. ¡°What is wrong?¡± He asked. ¡°This¡­ brand.¡± The girl said while touching it, ¡°L...What does it stand for?¡± ¡°That is the brand of my master.¡± He replied the girl with a smile, ¡°A little homage to the best tailor that exists.¡± ¡°Is this his shop?¡± The others had approached him and were now interested as well. ¡°It¡¯s actually her. Lorraine. And no, this shop isn¡¯t hers.¡± The trio looked at him with puzzled faces. ¡°Then what happened to her?¡± ¡°Well...¡± ***** Kvothe had just accompanied his last customers of the day to the door. His shift was about to end and he had another appointment twenty minutes later. He finished checking the inventory and storing the equipment the store allowed him to use. ¡°Hey, Nessa! I¡¯m leaving already.¡± He said to his assistant, ¡°Can you close everything when you¡¯re done?¡± Nessa was trying to learn Lorraine¡¯s techniques from Kvothe, but her patience was lacking and she rushed things too much. She usually stayed until late sewing clothes and Kvothe evaluated her the next day. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± She answered, ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± Kvothe sighed once again. He had gave up on trying to understand the girl¡¯s behaviour. It Didn¡¯t matter what he said or did, she wouldn¡¯t call him by the name or act like his equal. Opening the door to exit the shop, he almost hit another girl that stood just outside the door. She jumped back when she saw him and missed her step. Kvothe reacted fast and caught her by the waist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He apologized, ¡°Are you okay?¡± The girl¡¯s face went vermillion with embarrassment. Kvothe put her back to her feet and backed up to a proper distance. Now that he paid attention, he realized she was one of the customers he had made a dress for that evening. ¡°You¡¯re one of the girls that brought the white direwolf pelt.¡± He said with a smile, ¡°Can I help you with anything?¡± ¡°Actually¡­ Erm¡­ Hmm¡­ Erm...¡± The girl face became an even deeper red. She broke eye contact and looked down at her own feet. Meddling with her hair, she tried to say something, but nothing that made sense came out of her mouth. Apparently the system could understand it, because a few seconds later a window appeared in front of Kvothe.
You have received a friend request. Violet asked to be your friend, do you accept? Yes | No
Kvothe hit the Yes button and smiled at the girl. ¡°Done.¡± The girl smiled, hugged him and kissed his cheek. She turned her back and left without saying a word. Kvothe remained there, smiling at her running figure. Strangely enough, that was not the first time it had happened. She was actually one amongst many that had requested him to be added to his friends list. He didn¡¯t care much since he only sporadically received any PMs from them. That many contacts could also prove useful in the future, or at least he hoped. He was about to leave when another window popped up.
It takes a certain type of man to have a girl fall for him. And it takes a special type of man to become a successful flirt. No matter your intentions when speaking to them, you have an abnormally high amount of female contacts. The people of Rhodium have finally grown aware of you... You have earned the title: Casanova of Rhodium
Kvothe began laughing uncontrollably. What kind of description was that?! Also, why wasn¡¯t there any specifics about its effects? He closed the window and began walking at a fast pace, hoping he would be on time for his appointment. The female NPCs around him began looking at him with hungry eyes, as if he was a particularly delicious chocolate bar. Aware of the unusual attention he was receiving, he approached Lagertha, a vendor from a nearby shop where he usually bought ingredients and shared conversation. ¡°Good evening, Gertha.¡± He greeted her getting closer to ask in a whisper, ¡°Do you know what is going on with those girls?¡± Kvothe motioned to in the direction of the NPC girls that were blushing just from him looking at them. The NPC girls began giggling and whispering between themselves, making Kvothe sigh. Lagertha said nothing, so Kvothe looked back at her, just to find the woman blushing as well. ¡°Well...¡± Gertha answered, ¡°We have heard about your¡­ erm... fame...¡± Kvothe looked at Gertha with a puzzled look on his face. He had talked to her so many times by now that he couldn¡¯t understand her sudden blushing. ¡°Gertha¡­ What are you talking about? What fame is that?¡± Lagertha face faded into a deeper red. She diverted her gaze from Kvothe¡¯s eyes and hid her face on her hands. Kvothe sighed once again. That could not be a good omen. His thoughts immediately went to his new title, Casanova of Rhodium. He opened the information about the skill, but there was no tip about its effects. Deciding it was something too important to overlook, he decided to get the information from Gertha. Summoning his most charming smile and meeting her gaze, he said. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what you¡¯re talking about, my lady. Would you mind explaining me?¡± She still blushed, but this time she didn¡¯t divert her gaze from Kvothe. Had it been the smile or the fact that he looked at her expectantly like a child, he did not know, but it worked. ¡°You know¡­ The women talk about you. How gentlemanly you are, how you treat them... nicely, the way you talk to them. That sort of thing.¡± He was right, it was the title¡¯s fault. His hopes were that it limited itself by that, unfortunately it didn¡¯t. As he was about to leave Bjorn, Gertha¡¯s husband, appeared. He was close to two meters tall and was almost as wide, his face, that usually was ugly enough to scare any baby, grew into a uglier scowl as he saw Kvothe. ¡°Aye...The hero.¡± Bjorn said, his voice loaded with sarcasm, ¡°Ye came to buy sumthin¡¯ or are ye here just to flirt with me wife?!¡± A sense of dread hit Kvothe and his mind began making the connections. Hoping it had been just a misunderstanding he decided to apologize. ¡°Nothing like that, Mr Bjorn. I would never dare do such thing. Flirting with a married woman should be punishable by death, in my opinion.¡± Bjorn looked at Kvothe with squinted eyes. His face told that he wouldn¡¯t trust Kvothe¡¯s words even if they came wrapped in gold. Thankfully Gertha came to Kvothe¡¯s rescue. ¡°Don¡¯t worry honey, he was just asking about our vegetables shipment. I was telling him that it had been attacked by those nasty goblins.¡± Facing by his wife¡¯s words, Bjorn could do nothing except believing them. ¡°Sorry m¡¯love. ¡®m just a bit on edge lat¡¯ly. Those goddamn goblins.¡± Bjorn said with a tired smile, ¡°Would ye kindly go in the back take care of the inventory? I¡¯ll take care of the lad here.¡± Gertha agreed and went to the back. Bjorn¡¯s tired smile turned into a deadly glare that settled upon Kvothe. Approaching him, Bjorn whispered. ¡°Ye look here, boy!¡± He spat the last word, ¡°I heard ¡®bout ye, how ye¡¯re a ladies man. If I see ye close to me wife, ye¡¯re dead. Hear me?! Dead!¡± Kvothe closed his eyes and sighed slowly. Opening them, he gave Bjorn a cold smile that froze the bulky merchant in place. ¡°If you want to give it a try, you¡¯re more than welcome. Just know I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡± Kvothe said nonchalantly, but looking the desperation in Bjorn¡¯s eyes he added, ¡°Your wife might be a pretty woman, but she¡¯s your wife nonetheless. I would never flirt with a married woman.¡± Wiping his smile, Kvothe returned Bjorn¡¯s glare. They stood there for a minute until Bjorn admitted defeat and broke eye contact. ¡°Ye are a bold lad, that I can see. Ye gonna buy sumthin¡¯? If you don¡¯t, ye better go away.¡± Looking at the wares, Kvothe realized he had really run out of a few vegetables. ¡°How much for the chives?¡± ¡°Five copper the bundle.¡± ¡°Five copper?!¡± Kvothe asked dumbfounded, ¡°I paid 2 copper last time.¡± ¡°I liked ye last time.¡± The cold smile Bjorn gave Kvothe brought back the sense of dread from before. His life had just became a lot harder. ***** Kvothe arrived at the training hall just to realize Cain wasn¡¯t there. For the last two weeks Kvothe had been so busy he hadn¡¯t met his friend. Shaking that weird feeling, he entered the training hall and went to the second floor. There he met the people he had come for. After the fight against the black bunnies, Cain had introduced Kvothe to two of his ex-companions. The three had learnt their swordsmanship from the same master and shared many adventures while traveling together. Known for his great prowess in battle, their master was mentioned multiple times in Versailles history books. His name was Yoshi Yukimura. ***** Cain was sure those were his last moments. Thinking back, he had lived very fulfilling fourteen years. Of course there were a lot of things he would have liked to be able to do. Maybe meet a girl he liked, get married, raise a family, that kind of stuff. Now he would not have the opportunity since he was about to be devoured by a giant bear. Perhaps coming alone to the forest to train and get stronger was not a very good idea after all. The bear was just a few steps away, slowly approaching the frightened boy. From its breath Cain could already smell the bear¡¯s last dinner, knowing he¡¯d join it soon. Yet, he could not move a muscle. Raising on his hind legs, the bear prepared to attack. Cain closed his eyes, waiting for the imminent pain. The sound of a huge mass hitting the floor was all he heard. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw the bear laying on the floor in front of him. Without understanding what had happened, he slowly approached the bear. The animal was dead. A cut ran across the bear¡¯s chest and blood flowed from it. Cain crouched and began fiddling with the dead bear, relieved for being alive. He was thanking Odin when a shadow engulfed him. Looking up he saw that a huge man towered over him. ¡°Are you fine, boy?¡± The man asked. ¡°Y-Yeah!¡± The young Cain answered, ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Cain looked the man from head to feet, trying to understand how he had killed the bear, but could not see how he could have done such a thing. All he had was a simple sword hanging on his waist and a backpack. ¡°What¡¯s wrong boy, never seen a swordsman!?¡± The man said. His accent was different from any other Cain had heard. The man¡¯s face and skin color also had peculiar differences. At first Cain thought he was an elf, but his ears were not pointy and he did not have the thin, elongated limbs that defined the elven people. There was no doubt, that man was a human. ¡°W-Who are you?¡± Cain inquired the man. The man looked at him with a puzzled look. After a few second he made a fist with his right hand, put over his heart and pulled it across the chest until it reached the other side. ¡°I¡¯m Yoshi Yukimura.¡± The man said with a serious face, ¡°A wanderer and swordsman.¡± ¡°Thank you again, Mr Yukimura.¡± Cain got up and extended his hand. ¡°It sure is nice to meet you.¡± Yukimura still held his hand over his chest and looked at Cain¡¯s extended hand. His face became puzzled once again and he looked at Cain¡¯s hand from one side and then the other. Cain couldn¡¯t understand why was the man so reluctant to hold his hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yukimura asked. Understanding what was happening, Cain laughed. ¡°When we meet someone, we usually shake their hands.¡± He explained. Slowly, Yukimura removed his hand from over his chest and extended on Cain¡¯s direction. The boy took his hand a shook it with a smile on his face. ¡°My name is Cain.¡± He told the stranger, ¡°Are you heading to the village?¡± ***** Two men stood on the second floor of the training hall. Once again, Kvothe was impressed at the appearance of the smaller man. His hair and beard white as snow and matching white robes, the perfect sage man stereotype. He was a short man, something around 160 cm, according to his measures, but closer to 150cm from any perspective. He was a full head smaller than Kvothe. The man besides him was not human, in fact, he was a wood elf. With his imponent height, he towered half the height of the other man above him. His limbs were so thick they would make envious even the strongest of dwarfs. To make even higher contrast with the other man, his hair was coal black and his clothes were dirty and worn out. Even his skin had a dark coloration. Kvothe approached them, made a fist with his right hand and put his left hand over it. He held that gesture a short distance from his chest while bowing to each of the men. A signal of respect for his masters. ¡°Master Arthur, Master Jurgen. Thank you for your tutelage.¡± The masters returned the greeting, but without the bow, as custom. ¡°You are late, Hirao Kvothe.¡± The elf said in his thick accent, ¡°That shows you lack manners.¡± ¡°I apologise, Tura Arthur.¡± Kvothe said in response, ¡°Unfortunately I had no choice in the matter.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologise, just make sure it won¡¯t repeat.¡± Jurgen said, ¡°We should begin already, Cain said he wouldn¡¯t be able to come again.¡± Arthur went to a nearby rack and got three wood training swords. He tossed one to each of the other men and kept the last for himself. The three men created some distance between themselves and got into different fighting stances. Kvothe held his sword in front of his body, diving his profile in two. Jurgen held his sword above his head, parallel to the ground and pointed at Kvothe. Arthur¡¯s sword was held at the opposing side of his body, facing the ground, as a sword in scabbard, ready to attack. For a few seconds they only stared at each other when, in a swift movement, Arthur attacked Kvothe. ***** Yoshi was sipping on his tea and writing on his journal while Cain practiced his swing. The three years that have passed since he met Yoshi, made their relationship into one of master and disciple. Cain saw in Yoshi the man he wanted to become, so he followed his master on his travels throughout the Versailles continent, offering aid to those in need. Following Yoshi¡¯s teachings, Cain became a formidable swordsman and a caring human. Through their voyages, they faced various enemies, monsters and thugs alike, which made their names known amongst the good and bad. Their interventions enraged many powerful dark guilds, who swore to stop them in return. Among those guilds, one is particular held huge influence over the continent; the Valyrian Shade. After having their plans hindered by the swordsmen due multiple times, they decided to request the services of one of the greatest assassins. Jurgen Schneider was an assassin for hire, famous for his strength and discretion. He never broke on a contract and never left a target alive. No one knew his appearance for he never contacted his clients directly. His method of contract involved leaving a bag with the money and the target information in a specific mailbox. If the amount was enough, a few days later the target would appear dead. Additional requests like method of death and blame placement required bigger payments. The assassin was relaxing reading a history book, when an unexpected knock on his door called his attention. The four knocks in the correct rhythm told him he had another request. He slipped a silver coin through the hole besides his door and waited as for the errant boy to leave, before opening the door compartment that allowed him to take the package. Opening the package, he was amazed the amount of gold the bag held, it was probably the necessary to kill a whole guild. He opened the letter that contained the request. The first thing he saw was the crest of the Valyrian Shade, a guild that had requested his services in the past. Skimming through the letter, he expected a huge list of names, but instead he found only two. He went back to reading the full content of the letter. ¡®Those individuals are highly dangerous. Kill them by any means necessary. Godspeed.¡¯ As usual, Jurgen observed his targets for a few days before planning how to execute the job. Despite the obvious ordinary routine they had, something gave Jurgen a bad feeling. Yoshi appeared to be a simple old man, trying to teach his successor the knowledge he had acquired through the years. That successor, on the other hand, did nothing besides swing his sword the whole day, stopping only to eat and sleep. Even with his suspicious, he decided he would attack the two men that night. ¡°Are you gonna reveal yourself or should I force you to do it?¡± Jurgen¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The old man said without moving a muscle, while Jurgen was observing them from his hiding spot. He could not imagine it was directed at him. His stealth skill was of the highest level and he had made no mistakes. Was it possible that the old man could see through his stealth skill? ¡°You better come out.¡± The boy said turning his head towards the place where Jurgen was, ¡°My master is much stronger than he looks. I wouldn¡¯t like to see him beat you up to a pulp.¡± How was it possible?! How could they both of them see through the skills he had spent his life honing?! The same skills that were able to hide him so well, he had cut his target throat and he felt it only after Jurgen was so far he could not be seen. It didn¡¯t matter now. All he had to do was finish both of them. Jurgen drew his short sword and his dagger and exited his hiding spot. As soon as he saw the man exiting from behind the trees, Cain¡¯s expression became one of excitement, like a kid that just won a new toy. A wicked smile covered his face and a creepy aura began emanating from the boy. ¡°Decided to attack head on, have you...¡± Jurgen wordlessly dashed to attack the defenseless old man, ignoring the younger boy. But before he could get into his attack range, the boy got in front of him and made a swing at his face. Backstepping, Jurgen avoided the wild swing and tried stabbing Cain¡¯s abdomen. Cain easily deflected the stab and began a sequence of attacks that Jurgen blocked using his sword and dagger. After the flurry of attacks, Cain got out of Jurgen¡¯s reach and dropped his guard. ¡°You were right, Master. He is really skilled.¡± Cain said with a mocking grin, ¡°But his mana control is really poor, even worse than mine.¡± Jurgen¡¯s face became red with the anger. How could such a green boy be mocking him?! He, who had spent his life training to become the strongest assassin in existence. Had it not been his years of experience, Jurgen would have lost his calm. There was no need for him to stress over such a thing, he had a trick up his sleeves, after all. Crouching, he began gathering mana for his strongest skill, Backstab. When properly done, the user would shadowstep behind the enemy at the best position for a fatal blow. That was Jurgen trademark, and his favorite skill. He closed his eyes and activated the magic, vanishing into shadows. When he opened his eyes, Jurger was laying on the floor, facing the stars. Night had already fallen and he wasn¡¯t dead. However, he couldn¡¯t move a single muscle. He wondered about what had happened. His shadow step had been perfect, but after that he couldn¡¯t remember a single thing. ¡°So you¡¯re finally awake...¡± Said a voice on his side. Jurgen turned his head to face the figure. It was the boy he had been fighting with, sitting, calmly eating a bowl of soup besides the fallen enemy. ¡°W-Why?¡± Jurgen managed to ask. The boy looked at him, that mocking grin once again appearing on his face. ¡°Why are you laying on the floor? Why aren¡¯t you dead? Why your skill didn¡¯t work against me? You have to be a bit more specific.¡± Gulping down his anger, Jurgen tried lifting himself to a sitting position but Cain held him down. ¡°Stay still, you stupid.¡± Cains reproachful tone didn¡¯t suit his previous mocking one, ¡°Master told me to keep you like that until he¡¯s back. Apparently I¡¯m a mindless oaf that can¡¯t control its own strength.¡± ***** Kvothe dodged Arthur¡¯s slash and used his sword to parry Jurgen¡¯s, retaliating with a horizontal slash. Jurgen ducked and tried a rising stab aimed at Kvothe¡¯s ribs. Rotating his body slightly and extending his arm, Kvothe dodged the stab and grabbed Jurgen¡¯s hand, changing the sword¡¯s trajectory to Arthur¡¯s exposed back. Easily avoiding the redirected attack, Arthur made a downward slash at Kvothe¡¯s arm, forcing the disciple to release Jurgen¡¯s hand. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Differently from Cain, the movements Arthur and Jurgen used were graceful and fluid. Jurgen moved with precision and could avoid any attack using the least amount of movement needed. He could slip under your guard and position himself with such ease that you wondered if time flowed at a slower pace for him. Arthur, on the other hand, moved with grace and had lots of wasted moves. However, using those unnecessary movements, he could attack at any moment without warning. Attacks came from the oddest positions and from the weirdest angles, making anticipating them a difficult task. For the last two weeks, Kvothe had been training with them. Trying to learn their styles and movements as well as master the skills they taught him. One week had been enough to mimic their styles and learn their skills, but Kvothe was not content with only that. So, every night since, he sparred against them, at first one on one, and later both at once, trying to mix the three styles he had learnt. ¡°You have improved a lot.¡± Jurgen said after the initial exchange. ¡°Thanks.¡± Kvothe said nodding. ¡°Should we raise the speed a bit?¡± Arthur asked with a devious grin. ¡°Certainly!¡± Jurgen¡¯s face showed composure, but his eyes had the same devilish gleam as Arthur¡¯s. When fighting against one, they would use what Kvothe measured as half their real strength. Against the two, each would use less than twenty percent so far, but now they would begin fighting at a higher pace. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Kvothe answered with excitement. ***** It¡¯s been three full moons since Jurgen had been defeated by Cain the first time. For some reason the young man never finished him off, despite his various comebacks and defeats. He felt as if he was being toyed with. Every time he attacked, thinking they were with guards down, the boy would face him off and his attacks were never able to reach Cain¡¯s body. The boy¡¯s strength was beyond anything Jurgen had ever faced, and he had the impression Cain had only been playing with him. Every time the boy defeated him he would wake a few hours later, laying on the floor with his wounds being taken care of. They showed no strangeness to the fact that Jurgen had been trying to kill them. A few times they even forced food down his throat, despite Jurgen¡¯s reluctance. Whenever he was not laying on the floor or being beaten up, he observed the two. They were a strange party, always bickering, fighting for the most stupid matters, but they also took care of each other. Jurgen tried, but he could not understand such behaviour. The figure of a master he had was not the caring kind, and that had been the only relationship he had his whole life. As far as he knew, when he was a few days old he was left to die in front of a temple. In fact, it was not even a proper temple, but the headquarters of an assassin guild. The guild rescued him and gave him food and a roof to sleep under. At his fifth summer, the guild master instructed the brothers to begin his training, and so hell began. At the age of eleven, he had killed more people than a priest buries his whole life. Only fully trained assassins could do missions, but that did not mean they would not be killing. Their training involved weekly confrontations against one of the people you had shared meals with. At first everyone showed some reluctance, but the fear of death would prevail and only the stronger was left. Three summers later he became the youngest assassin in the guild¡¯s records. He was the ultimate killing machine; no fear, no remorse, no pity. His life since had been job after job, death after death. He felt nothing. Even while the guild was being annihilated by the church he felt nothing. He saw the people he had lived with his whole life dying before his own eyes but no anger or desire of vengeance surged. He just kept doing what he had been told to; the job. That was the reason he stuck to Cain and Yoshi, if he could not finish the job, his life would still hold some meaning. When thinking about what he would do if he could not kill then, he had no answer. He had no future besides the job. So he followed them and tried to finish what he had been hired to do, hoping to at least be killed in the attempt. While the duo traveled, Jurgen followed them from a small distance, attacking as soon as he thought a chance appeared. He knew it was a trap to lure him into, what Yoshi called, a friendly spar, but he would attack all the same. Hope was all he had, but until then, Jurgen had been defeated by Cain exact twenty two times. The past three weeks they wandered aimlessly through the forests of Rosenhein kingdom. They were so deep into the forest that they had seen no form of life besides wild animals for a long time. The silence of the dense forest made a single break of a twig carry out by miles, yet Yoshi and Cain sang a tavern song to the top of their lunges. Jurgen was already paranoid about the attention the two were attracting, glancing around at any small noise. He knew the stories about that forest, how everyone who entered it disappeared forever. How monsters of high caliber existed inside the forests and even the king¡¯s army wasn¡¯t able to face them. ¡°Hey, you two!¡± Jurgen called out the two men, ¡°Stop for a second.¡± Yoshi stopped and turned back to look at Jurgen. The puzzled look on the old man¡¯s face made Jurgen realize it had been the first time he had called out to them on the months he had been following the duo. All he had done was give short, sharp answers and deadly glares in response to their questions. ¡°Yes, Mr Jurgen?¡± Yoshi answered politely. Thrown back by the attitude from the older man, Jurgen began stuttering. ¡°Erm¡­ So¡­ You know¡­ I heard this area is quite dangerous and p-people disappear here often. T-That even the royal army wasn¡¯t able to face the monsters here.¡± ¡°We know, stupid.¡± Cain answered rolling his eyes, ¡°Why do you think we are here?!¡± ¡°I thought you were wandering aimlessly.¡± He said honestly. ¡°We were.¡± Yoshi said, ¡°Until two weeks ago.¡± Thinking back, two weeks ago was when they had met a searching party inside the forest. They had been looking for a small boy that had vanished after running into the woods. Since it didn¡¯t interested Jurgen, he hadn¡¯t even given much thought about it, but since that meeting, they had been going deeper and deeper into the forest. ¡°So we are searching for the boy?¡± ¡°Not only the boy.¡± Yoshi answered. Jurgen looked at the duo, trying to understand their actions. Whenever they met anyone in need of help, they would do it without giving it a second thought or asking anything in exchange. The ¡°jobs¡± were not only related to beasts and fighting. Many times they had helped plow fields, control a herd of cattle and received in exchange just a simple meal or even nothing. He, who never had done anything for free his whole life, could not understand such selfless acts. ¡°Let me help!¡± Even Jurgen was surprised by the words the left of his mouth, so he was not surprised by the gaping mouths of Yoshi and Cain. Jurgen had decided to try out that helping others thing. There had to be some reason for them to do it. ¡°I am a very capable tracker and can help with fighting if needed.¡± ¡°Of course you can help.¡± Yoshi said recovering from the surprise and giving Jurgen a warm smile, ¡°The more the merrier.¡± With Jurgen joining their party, things were looking better. He began searching for any signal of the boy and taught the other two what to search for, so they could cover a bigger area. Since the forest was basically a virgin that deep, there were no signs other than what they were after and what they made. It took them a week before they found a clue that led them even deeper inside the woods. They began finding strong monsters there, but the trio took care of them easily. Three days since they had begun following the lead, it vanished. They were at the place the boy had been abducted, but there was no clue as to what had abducted the boy. ¡°I cannot believe there are no traces left.¡± Jurgen complained, ¡°How can anyone be so skilled?! Its as if they never left.¡± Yoshi touched his shoulder. ¡°They haven¡¯t.¡± The old man said. Quiet as a cat, twelve figures landed a few meters around them, bows aimed at them and ready to attack. They had the same shape as humans, but their limbs were longer and their bodies slender, even the ones that were visibly male had a feminine figure. Their skin was dark brown and had a pearl-like cover, as if they were constantly wet. All of that plus their big eyes and pointy ears made it clear they were wood elves. Jurgen reached for his dagger but Yoshi blocked his hand from reaching it. ¡°We¡¯ll never be able to attack them before they use us as target practice.¡± Yoshi said in a calm tone ¡°And what should we do, then?¡± Jurgen asked. ¡°Let¡¯s try talking to them. Wood elves can be quite talkative if you treat them politely.¡± Yoshi raised his hands in a universal ¡®I mean no harm¡¯ gesture and begun walking toward the elves. They were wary of him, so most of them focused their arrows on the old man. ¡°Amin essa Yoshi Yukimura, amin mellon en'' kelvar ar'' toror'' en'' quessir.¡± Yoshi said in the elven language. Lowering his hands, he put his right hand on his left shoulder and bowed. The elves lowered their bows and returned the gesture. ¡°A human who knows our customs.¡± An elf with an uniquely embellished bow said as he approached Yoshi, ¡°That is a rare sight.¡± ¡°I had the pleasure of meeting with a brother of the forest in my youth.¡± Yoshi explained, ¡°You can lower your bows, we mean you no harm.¡± The elves did as asked, and lowered their bows. They whispered amongst themselves, looking at the trio that had appeared. ¡°What are you doing so deep into the forest?¡± The same elf said, apparently he was the leader of the group. ¡°We are searching for a small boy that disappeared a few days ago.¡± Cain answered approaching the two, ¡°Do you happen to know of him?¡± ¡°That boy is at our village.¡± The elf said in a sad tone, ¡°He is waiting for trial.¡± ***** ¡°Damn.¡± Arthur said gasping for air, ¡°The rate you learn at is not something to be taken lightly.¡± Kvothe was sprawled on the floor. His clothes were soaked with sweat, the training sword lay at his side. ¡°You have truly mastered our fighting styles.¡± Jurgen said while sitting on a chair, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can teach you anything else.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± Arthur agreed with the human master, ¡°You are the second fastest person to master those techniques that I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Kvothe smiled, pleased at the compliments. Of course he had not been able to win against the above level 200 masters, but leaving them gasping for air and receiving their praise was enough. Yet, something felt weird about what they had said. ¡°Wait!¡± Kvothe rose to a sitting position, ¡°What do you mean, second?¡± ***** Jurgen had just woken up and was washing his face. It was already the eighth day since they had arrived at the elven village. Thanks to Yoshi, they were treated like guests while waiting for the boy¡¯s trial. Apparently the boy had trespassed into the holy land of the elves, an unforgivable sin. Contrary to what people think, elves aren¡¯t immortal, they just have a long lifespan. Actually, according to what Yoshi said, their lifespan was at least ten times that of humans. Which explained the fact that most people thought they were immortals. Another fact was that they would never let anyone see their dying place. When an elf is close to his dying age, he is able to feel it and when that time comes, he retires to what they refer to as holy ground. That place must be untouched by any hands other than that of the dying elves, so their souls can rest in peace. Any trespasser should be killed on sight and their body left there to become part of the forest. The boy, however, had been running from monsters when the elven patrol saved him. The boy would most likely, be set free, but they had to wait for the elders judgement. Yoshi had talked to them and they had no intentions to kill an innocent child without reason. The trio just decided to stay behind to escort the boy back to his village. As soon as he left the door of the ¡°house¡± he faced the scene he was growing used to. A horde of young elves were staring at him, curious of the weird human man. Strangely enough, even with his silence, they would return everyday to watch him while he explored the village. The ¡°village¡± was something he never imagined. The ¡°houses¡± were actually hollowed trees that had almost the same size as his house, which was considered big by the human standards. There were no roads since it all stood thirty meters above the ground, instead the paths were the trees¡¯ branches. Jurgen had no doubt a horse wagon would be able to ride those paths without a problem. ¡°Amazing!¡± Was Jurgen first thoughts every single day they had been there. He put his shoes on and began to wander, the group of elves following behind. They would whisper amongst themselves about the unusual behaviour of the human, without caring if Jurgen listened it or not. Honestly, it did not bother him at all, he was even relieved at having someone with him. In case he slipped and he had no one to help, the fall would be a bit higher than usual. So far, he had visited most of what he could figure for the village. He had observed the daily lives of the elves. The away they lived in harmony with nature was something he had believed impossible. It was not something along the lines, ¡°do not hurt the trees¡± nor ¡°we do not kill¡±. They simply took what they needed. There was no excess, they consumed only what was absolutely necessary. The concept of parenthood was non-existent as well, something that was a shock for him. Until they were of age, the elves lived together in the biggest ¡°building¡± in the village. There they were taught all they needed, from how to hunt to how to navigate using only the stars as a guide. Despite all that, the biggest oddity for him was that they did not use metal. Metal was not something they were used to dealing with. Their tools were made from the bones of animals and swords were nonexistent. However, they excelled at the use of bow and arrow, most being able to hit a fly 20 meters in a windy day. Their superior sight, strength and flexibility also contributed to that. The few metal weapons they got from invaders and visitors were usually stored away and left to rust. Jurgen stopped his walk and watched as a group of elves practiced a dance, or was it a martial art? Their motions were fluid like water but they moved as slow as the earth. He could identify the punches and kicks mixed into the movements. It was definitely a martial art. He tried to mimic them. The movements were easy, but the slow speed made it hard to keep the balance. His body lacked the strength to hold it in place. The giggling made him return to reality. He looked back to see the elves holding their laughs. How amusing it must be a clumsy human trying to imitate them. A small elf girl was directly behind him, smiling at him. It was the kind of smile only children had. A smile defined by innocence. He caught himself smiling back at the little girl. His usual self would never talk to a kid, he had no idea how to handle them. However, looking at that small, frail looking girl, he saw that he was being stupid. ¡°Hello little girl!¡± He said as he crouched besides her, ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Elandir, but everyone call me Ella.¡± The girl answered, her smile broadening. ¡°Nice to meet you, Ella. My name is Jurgen.¡± ¡°I-ur-den?¡± The girl asked having trouble speaking the foreign name. ¡°You can call me Jur. Is that easier?¡± ¡°Yes, much easier. Jur.¡± Jurgen felt something weird while listening to the girl saying his nickname. He tried to think of the last time he had talked to a kid, but could not remember. He sat on the floor besides the girl and quietly watched as the elves performed their dance. It was truly beautiful. ¡°Jur¡­ What do you do?¡± Ella asked him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jurgen turned his head to look at the girl, his mind still trying to figure out what was that he was feeling. ¡°Your function in your village.¡± He looked at her, wondering what would she think if he told her he was an assassin for hire. That was not something he had told anyone. He was not a social person but knew that was not something he should say openly. ¡°Human villages aren¡¯t like yours.¡± Jurgen explained curtly trying to brush Ella away, but seeing her puzzled face and expectant eyes he decided to continue. ¡°We don¡¯t live all together, nor live in harmony with nature.¡± He took a coin from his pocket. ¡°Here.¡± He handed her the copper coin, ¡°This is what we call money. Its what we use to buy and sell things. We work to receive money and use it to buy food, clothes or anything we want.¡± Ella looked at Jurgen, then at the coin, then at Jurgen again. ¡°Humans are weird.¡± ***** ¡°That is something you¡¯ll have to ask Cain.¡± Jurgen said, ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to tell you, Cain is your true master. He is the one to decide what you have to know and when.¡± ¡°But I haven¡¯t seen him in over a week!¡± Kvothe complained, ¡°Who can say when I¡¯ll be able to see him again?!¡± ¡°Patience, Hirao Kvothe.¡± Arthur said with a soothing voice, ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll tell you when the time is right.¡± Kvothe was about to argue once again when Arthur raised his hand. ¡°Instead of asking what you know we won¡¯t tell you, why don¡¯t you show us your progress in the wind razor.¡± Taking a deep breath and sighing, Kvothe raised his sword. ¡°That is a stupid name by the way.¡± He said and closed his eyes. As fast as it took him to blink, he manipulated his mana. He had learned quite a bit about mana manipulation in the last weeks. Ways he could make it faster, ways to make it more effective, even ways to do what he should not be able to do. In a millisecond, he moved a large chunk of air mana to the tip of the whistling sword. Holding the urge to yell ¡°Kaze no kizu¡± he made a downward diagonal slash in the air in front of him. Ten meters in front of him, two scarecrows were cleanly cut in two. ¡°As soon as you get the right timing to releasing the mana it gets too easy.¡± Kvothe said displaying a proud smile while shrugging nonchalantly. The two swordmasters looked at him. Their eyes told that they wanted to wipe that smug grin from Kvothe¡¯s face. Jurgen put his hand on Arthur¡¯s shoulder and gave him a confident smile. ¡°How about a race?¡± Jurgen suggested. That was obviously his way of asking Kvothe if he had mastered the skill he had taught. Racing was a great way of using what he had taught Kvothe. ¡°I actually have to go to Count Di Kontarr¡¯s manor, can that be the finish line?¡± Kvothe asked, giving Jurgen a confident grin of his own. ***** It¡¯s strange how a single interaction might change the whole impression of a person. Until he had talked with Ella for the first time, everyone would follow him while maintaining a distance, talking amongst them but never with him. Now the young elves flocked around him and bombarded him with questions about any and everything. At first he was annoyed by it, but the elves grew on him and he began enjoying the new treatment. Every question he could, he would answer to the best of his knowledge and in exchange, he would ask them things he wanted to know about the elves. Sometimes an especially large group of kids flocked around him and forced him to tell them a story. He would tell them stories he had read about the great kings and heroes of the human world. Whenever an elf appeared in his stories the young elves would cheer and whenever an orc made his appearance they would boo. It was an environment he had never experienced. People came at him willingly and wanted nothing other than hearing what he had to tell them. His whole life interacting with other people had been just for the sake of the job. That was how he had been taught and how he had lived. People had always avoided him and he never made an effort to talk to them. During his stay with the elves, he met many interesting people but none were as memorable as Ella. Everyday the small girl would greet him in the morning with her dazzling innocent smile as soon as he left the house. She would walk beside him asking about every and anything. She was annoying as hell and, no matter what he did, she would not leave his side. By the third day that pattern repeated, his patience was wearing thin. ¡°Why are you following me everyday?! Don¡¯t you have better things to do?!¡± His tone was angry but the girl did not seem to be fazed by it, her smile grew even bigger and brighter. ¡°That¡¯s because I like you, Jur!¡± She answered. Jurgen sighed. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± He said, ¡°You choose where we go today.¡± She was too cute and lovely for him to stay annoyed with her after that. To his surprise, she proved to be very useful, teaching him of places he would never have thought could exist. She took him to alu lanta orn, the waterfall tree. A tree so big,that sucked so much water from the ground, that when it released the water it formed a waterfall that grew into a large river. Also, she took him to her favorite place in the whole world, the library. From what he could see, the elves were fond of reading, since they had more books than Jurgen thought could possibly exist. Browsing through them, he found rare books about magic, histories about kingdoms, kings, and heroes long forgotten. Exotic recipes with such detailed descriptions that your mouth would water just from reading it. Suffice to say that he began borrowing piles and piles of books every single day. Sometime he would stay inside the library for the whole day. Only him, the books and Ella. She never left his side. Whenever he got too quiet, entranced in his book, and she grew too bored, she asked him to read out loud, whatever it was he was reading. He would use his deep voice to read it out loud, acting the part of a bard, except some books were reports on new species or detailed description of artwork. Sometimes the reading got so weird that they would laugh about it for hours. Those were the best days of his life. ***** The master and the pupil stood on their marks. Despite the boasting, Kvothe was not confident in beating the master in a race. He had already mastered the skill needed for that, but Jurgen was simply too good at it. While Kvothe was able to flow like that water, Jurgen became water itself. If he wanted to win, he would have to play dirty. Thankfully he had a trick up his sleeve... ***** Dozing off while waiting for sleepiness to take over, a knock at the door called Jurgen back to reality. He slowly walked to the door and opened it. Looking at him with googly eyes was Elle. In her hands was a thin book, most likely filled with children stories. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in bed, young lady?!¡± He told her with a reproaching tone, while laughing. It had been only a couple hours since they had split their ways. Other than those two hours, they had spent the whole day together, as usual. Since the day of the trial was approaching, he had told her he would have to leave soon, so he was already expecting something like this. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I came to see if you would read me a story.¡± ¡°Of course, Ella. I would love to read you a story.¡± She jumped excitedly and entered the house. It was a two bedrooms house, with a living room, a kitchen and surprisingly, a bathroom. Jurgen guided Ella to the spare bedroom, prepared her bed and got her a pillow and blanket. ¡°So...¡± Jurgen asked the girl, ¡°What is it I¡¯m reading for you?¡± She handed him the book. ¡°Tales of Sir Gallus?¡± He read the title. She looked at him expectantly. That book was obviously her favorite. The cover had a rooster drawn on it and the book was obviously overread, since most of it was fading. He opened the first page and begun reading. ¡°In a time dominated by wolves, a single rooster shall rise against them, Sir Gallus. He was...¡± Fifteen minutes later, Elle was almost asleep on the bed. ¡°...and all the chickens were saved and lived happily ever after.¡± Jurgen read the last sentence, ¡°Good night princess.¡± He patted her head and rose from the chair. He was about to leave when something held him from behind. ¡°Jur...¡± Elle said half asleep, she was hugging him from behind tiptoeing so she could reach his waist, ¡°You¡¯re a weird human, but I love you.¡± Jurgen stood there, ecstatic by the words and actions of a little girl. For someone like him, whose life had been only death and loneliness, that single phrase was something alien. He had no idea how to react to such words. He began feeling of a warmth going down his face and dripping from his chin. ¡°Jur...Why are you crying? Are you hurt?¡± Why was he crying? Even without having experienced something like that, he was sure it could only be happiness. Yet, there was not a smile on his face. Jurgen shook his head, unable to say a word. ¡°Then...are you sad?¡± Jurgen shook his head again, gulping down his rising emotions. ¡°What is wrong?¡± Elle pleaded, her voice announcing she was about to cry with him. He took a deep breath and was able to find his voice. ¡°Nothing, sweetie.¡± Jurgen got to his knees and hugged her back, tears pouring from his eyes, ¡°Everything is finally right.¡± Chapter 07 ? Spoiler : Hello peeps! Sorry the delay in delivering this chapter... Actually it should be an extremely long chapter, but I decided to split it into manageable parts. As always, thanks to everyone who helped with PR, ideas and even hearing me rambling. Hope you guys enjoy it. See ya o/ PS: no teaser this time...haven''t even begun next chapter {[999aba}] Edit: Actually...Spoiler is up in the usual spot Chapter 7 - Tales of the past - Part 2 ? Chapter 06 Focus. That was the key to successfully maintain the skill. The fact that you had to constantly renew the shape of the skill and control its movement required a concentration strong enough to execute four different actions at the same time. The skill was based on the principle of air resistance. Infusing a thin layer of air around you with water mana allowed you to move it at will. Objectively, removing the air in a direction would reduce the resistance and allow a faster movement. The theory is simple, but all stages of the movement must be taken into account so the layer can be shaped and moved properly. If the air was moved too slow, or too fast, it would just be wasted mana.mana Kvothe could have just activated it like any other player, but the gains from the skill were reduced that way. His tests indicated that the efficiency was reduced to at least half without manual control and also had a high chance of failing. Without that extra efficiency he had no chances of winning the race. ¡®Hell! I don¡¯t think I can win using that.¡¯ Jurgen had years of experience with the skill. That and the fact that he was an NPC weren¡¯t points in Kvothe¡¯s favor. Reducing the resistance on his left, Kvothe dodged the person that stood in his way. On his right, Jurgen easily jumped two meters high, ran on a wall and got back on the street with a, totally unnecessary, front flip. ¡°Show off!¡± Kvothe screamed at the master. The ease in the swordmaster¡¯s movements made it seem so simple, yet Kvothe was struggling to keep up with him. He had no doubts the master was taking it easy against him. Why would he bother calling Kvothe for a race if he would leave the boy eating dust? Kvothe¡¯s desire to win increased. He disliked being looked down upon, especially when he was clearly in a lower level. ¡®It is time!¡¯ He disliked cheating and avoided it at all costs, especially if any prize was due. This race however, was just a friendly competition, and in a friendly competition there is no cheating, just¡­ taking advantage. ¡°HEY JURGEN! ...¡± **** The judgement day arrived, but despite the anxiousness everyone felt, all went well. The boy was freed from his charges and released from his prison. His shock was visible. Being lost in the forest, chased by monsters, rescued and imprisoned by elves had a huge effect on him. When he saw the human trio he was so relieved he cried for a whole day. The following day, as soon as the boy recovered from the shock of his traumatic experience, they decided to travel. The sound of crying persisted, but it came from another source. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll return to visit you, Ella.¡± Jurgen reassured her. ¡°B-But I-I want to g-go with y-you! Wahhhh!¡± She pleaded at him between sobs. Jurgen, who was crouching to be at Ella¡¯s height, looked at the other two grown ups, begging for help. His experience handling kids was almost null and the last time he had to handle a crying kid, he was the kid himself. Cain kept laughing at him, but Yoshi approached and kneeled on his side. ¡°You know you can¡¯t leave the forest before completing your training.¡± He remembered Ella. ¡°But¡­ *sniff* But¡­. *sniff* But...¡± She tried to reply, but couldn¡¯t find a retort. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Yoshi reassured her with a smile, ¡°When you finish your training, we¡¯ll return to take you with us. Right, Jurgen?¡± Jurgen looked at him, trying to read the old man¡¯s intention. He could not see any hints of that being a lie or just something to make the girl quiet. Yoshi was being serious. ¡°Of course!¡± He agreed with conviction, ¡°Even if I have to come alone. How long is that going to take?¡± ¡°Let me count.¡± Ella began counting on her fingers, ¡°Six more years.¡± Jurgen¡¯s brows came together in a pensive expression. ¡°That¡¯s a long time...¡± He said and Ella threatened to start crying again, ¡°I¡¯ll have to make some visits in the meantime.¡± Ella hug-tackled him, attaching herself to his neck, the cry turning into a smile. Jurgen and Yoshi laughed at the sudden change of spirits of the girl. She let go of Jurgen and gave Yoshi an unexpected hug and a kiss to the cheek. ¡°You take care of Jur!¡± Ella whispered in his ear, her voice dead serious, ¡°If he gets hurt I won¡¯t forgive you.¡± **** Jurgen¡¯s focus wavered and he lost his jumping boost. His feet hit the barrel he was trying to jump over, making him fall face first on the floor and slide for a few meters. Kvothe had expected some kind of reaction, but that had topped all his expectations. As he run past the master, he made a visual check to see if Jurgen was alright. Instead of a hurt master, he found a deadly aura that scared him. Instead of stopping to give assistance he ran with all his might. Fighting to maintain his focus - and his laughs - Kvothe made a left turn entering an alley. A loud crack came from the wall behind him and he turned his head to look. A chisel was stuck handle deep in the wall, a crack that reached from the top to the bottom spreading from it. At a distance, Jurgen was already up and his pose as that of someone that just threw something. A cold, almost freezing shiver ran down Kvothe¡¯s spine and he picked up the pace even more. Running to the limit of his abilities would describe it better, though. A look over his shoulder and he saw a blur approaching at an incredible speed. ¡°TELL ME IT WAS A LIE!¡± Jurgen screamed at the top of his lungs. Another turn to the right and the finish line became visible a couple hundred meters ahead. The Count¡¯s manor was a sight to behold with its breathtaking beauty, a jewel encrusted in the heart of Rhodium. Kvothe did not waste a split second looking at it. Jurgen still screamed, his voice was closer at each step. ¡°I WILL KILL YOU BEFORE I LET THAT HAPPEN!¡± Ignoring everything else, Kvothe concentrated on his skill. His mana pool was almost depleted, so he split the time left along the distance. He activated it for five seconds and then deactivated. The difference in movement speed and and ease of movement between active and inactive was clear. He activated for a bit longer, the mansion almost within reach. It was so close now he was sure Jurgen would not be catching up. Once again he peeked over his shoulder to see how far Jurgen was, just to see a hand about to grab his collar. He activated the skill once more, using it for rolling faster out of the hand¡¯s way. The roll was a big longer than he anticipated and he hit the mansion¡¯s gate while trying to complete the cartwell. As he stood, a wooden sword came down on his direction, aiming to cut him in half. Instinctively he activated the skill, rotating his body along the vertical axis at a speed he should not have been able to. He widened his stance, positioning his left foot close to the attacker¡¯s right knee, and tried locking the sword arm using his own. Before he could enclose the arm, the attacker pulled it from the closing arm, showing a swordless hand. ¡°Jurgen...¡± Kvothe tried to say. Without stopping a millisecond, Jurgen rotated around Kvothe and grabbed the falling sword in the pupil¡¯s back. Predicting the next move, Kvothe slammed his body into the master, hoping to interfere with his attack. Despite that, the rising wooden sword scraped his head taking a few strands of his hair as a memento. Backstepping the fastest and furthest he could, Kvothe created a gap between him and Jurgen. He didn¡¯t want to take his sword out, but he had no chance to survive the attack from his master without it. Jurgen came at him at the speed of sound ready to cut him in two pieces. Kvothe drew the whistling sword using the motion to block the attack. The swords barely touched before Jurgen slid his leg and attacked from the other direction, his mastery in the skill he taught Kvothe playing a huge part on the sudden direction change. Kvothe had no mana to activate the skill himself, so all he had was his own ability to back him up. He dodged the following attack by swaying back and instantly stepped in Jurgen¡¯s direction. Jurgen tried attacking again, but Kvothe reached him first and used his left forearm to stop the attack by clashing it against the swordmaster¡¯s hand. Had Kvothe been intent on hitting Jurgen, that would have been the perfect moment. The master was completely open and his blade was in attacking position. Jurgen¡¯s eyes widened with the incoming blade. It would probably have the same effect of an ant bite to him if it hit, but the image was enough to snap him out of his frenzy. Kvothe stopped the blade before it hit Jurgen. ¡°Kvothe! Jur!¡± An angry feminine voice came from the distance, ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± **** ¡°Were you serious about that?¡± Jurgen asked in a voice so low it should be called a whisper. The noise however, was enough to startle the other three humans that had been walking the last few hours through the forest in silence. They had been retracing their steps back to the boy¡¯s village and, despite the successful rescue, a heavy atmosphere emanated from Jurgen and engulfed the others, silencing everyone. Yoshi turned his head with a puzzled look on his face. His eyes analysing the man that had broken the stillness that had been their walk so far, peering into his very soul. Their eyes met and a smile appeared on Yoshi¡¯s face. He broke eye contact and looked up checking the sky for the time. ¡°Its about time we stop to eat.¡± Without missing a heartbeat, Cain began preparations to make lunch. He gathered a few twigs to start a fire while taking out some pans and utensils from his backpack. To feel less of a leecher Jurgen went gathering wood, leaving Yoshi and the boy behind. When he returned with a bunch of firewood, Yoshi and the boy were playing while Cain cut some vegetables and meat. ¡°You can leave it here, thanks.¡± Cain pointed to a nearby pile of wood. ¡°Don¡¯t mention.¡± Jurgen answered in a low voice, ¡°I just realized how I¡¯ve been getting stuff from you, doing nothing in return this whole time.¡± he avoided meeting the younger man¡¯s eyes, ¡°Thank you¡­ for everything.¡± Cain raised an eyebrow at the assassin. The corners of his mouth going up in a smirk. ¡°Man, what the hell happened to you?!¡± He asked in a mocking tone, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d hear that many words of thanks from you¡­ Especially after all the beating I gave you.¡± Sensing the malice in the younger man¡¯s words, Jurgen decided to enter the game. He put on his most crazy maniac smile and slowly tapped his sword hilt while leaving. ¡°That was for the food, I still have to thank you for the beatings.¡± The smirk died and concern covered Cain¡¯s face. He wondered if Jurgen was being serious or not while watching the man leave to where Yoshi stood with the kid. **** ¡°I can¡¯t believe you two! Fighting in the middle of the street! What if you hurt someone?! What if you got hurt yourselves!¡± The figure screaming at the two was a dark skinned woman with height comparable to Kvothe¡¯s. Her dark hair reaching the middle back fit perfectly her slender figure and complimented her thin face. She looked she was late teens or early twenties at most, but age is always tricky when dealing with elves. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ella...¡± Jurgen apologized, ¡°...its just that-¡± ¡°It was my fault, actually.¡± Kvothe intervened, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ella. I said something I shouldn¡¯t.¡± Ella¡¯s dark cheeks were colored by a red tint when Kvothe talked to her, thing that Jurgen did not fail to notice. A cold ran down Kvothe¡¯s spine and he became paralyzed by Jurgen¡¯s killing intent. He knew from the intensity that his master was about to jump on his neck once again. ¡°JUR!¡± Ella screamed, ¡°STOP THAT!¡± The pressure immediately subsided and Kvothe could move once more. ¡°Thank you.¡± Kvothe nodded at Ella, relieved. ¡°Now explain yourself!¡± She turned her angry face to Kvothe, ¡°What did you do to Jur that he got so angry at you?¡± ¡°We were having a friendly dispute that I wanted to win. For that, I needed him to lose his calm...¡± Kvothe said nonchalantly, ¡°So I said we were having a date this sunday.¡± Kvothe gave the elven girl a boyish smile proud of his feat. Instead of laughing as Kvothe expected, Ella blushed an even deeper red than before and her clear green eyes avoided his at all costs. ¡®Damn title¡­¡¯ **** Jurgen approached the duo that played with sticks as if they were swords. The small boy made a thrust, piercing through Yoshi¡¯s defenses, poking the old man on the chest. Yoshi made an exaggerated acting of being seriously injured and fell on the floor, closing his eyes and sticking his limp tongue out. The boy defiantly poked the old man who stood there unresponsive. Opening his eyes to peek at the boy, Yoshi saw the apprehensive look on Jurgen¡¯s face and got up. ¡°Do you mind giving us a minute?¡± He asked the small boy, who replied affirmatively and went running after some bugs that were flying around. ¡°I need to talk to you.¡± Jurgen said without wasting time. ¡°I know.¡± Yoshi answered with a small smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting it for a while now. Come, sit.¡± Both men sat on rocks and faced each other for a few moments. Jurgen trying to formulate his questions in a way that he would not look like so desperate. ¡°Were you being serious?¡± He finally asked. ¡°About what?¡± Jurgen looked at the old man trying to read his intentions but despite having spent the last few months together, he could not read Yoshi at all. ¡°Are you really coming back here with me to get Ella?¡± He asked bluntly. ¡°Yes.¡± Jurgen stood there, waiting for a follow up that did not come. Yoshi simply looked at him, as if expecting him to ask something else. Giving up on trying to understand the old man, Jurgen decided to ask. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Both stood in silence again, looking at each other without moving a single muscle. The gears inside Jurgen¡¯s head spun like crazy trying to understand the old man¡¯s reasoning but failing to reach any conclusion. ¡°You don¡¯t really have a reason, do you?¡± Jurgen asked after much thinking. Yoshi gave him a wry smile, the same a kid would show after his prank being discovered. ¡°Do I need one?¡± ¡°...¡± Jurgen stared blankly at Yoshi while realization that the puzzle pieces he had been trying to put together would never fit. The puzzle he thought he had been trying to solve actually never existed. Only when Yoshi cocked his head Jurgen got out of his static state. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°That makes no sense!¡± He snapped, raising his voice while standing from his seat, ¡°That is a deal you get nothing from! You should hate me for trying to kill you! You should have killed me on all the chances you had! There¡¯s absolutely no logic in what you do!¡± Breathing heavily, Jurgen waited for a response but Yoshi stood there, looking at him with a face that wondered how could Jurgen not see what was right in front of him. ¡°What if...¡± Jurgen began saying, ¡°it¡¯s not about what I gain, but what I can give?¡± ***** With much cost Kvothe was able to get rid of Jurgen and Ella without being killed and was about to meet the count. Since the ball he had been visiting the count regularly to borrow books and hear stories about the kingdom and the count¡¯s adventures. Charles told him stories that happened before the death of Rhodium¡¯s monarch. Showed him books so old that they couldn¡¯t be touched, instead copies were available for reading. It was obvious Charles was fond of Kvothe however, after he received the ¡°Hero of the artists¡± title, the count showed a newfound respect for him, displaying even more intimacy and offering assistance and trying to push him a high ranking position in the city¡¯s army. Kvothe more than once used the offered assistance but respectfully rejected the position in the army. ¡°You may enter now, Mr. Kvothe.¡± The employee that had asked him to wait had returned. He opened the double doors that lead into the library and motioned for Kvothe to get in. The library was a breathtaking sight. Despite the fact that Kvothe had been there many times already it still amazed him. Stacks upon stacks of books that went from legends about the old kingdoms to advanced magic theory, filled the walls from floor until the ceiling that stood five stories high. ¡°Kvothe, my friend!¡± Charles came from behind one of the shelves, ¡°I¡¯m glad you could come visit me again.¡± ¡°Charles...¡± Kvothe returned the greeting, ¡°Thanks for receiving me.¡± ¡°Please, sit.¡± Charles said motioning to one of the chairs around a small reading nest. As soon as he sat down, Kvothe opened his inventory window and took a book out, handing it to the Count. ¡°You were right...¡± He said as Charles took it from his hands, ¡°It was certainly an interesting reading.¡± The count eyed him with a rather annoyed expression. ¡°It took me fifteen years to find all the pieces of this book.¡± he said caressing the book as one would caress a favorite pet, ¡°You are the only one besides me who have laid eyes on it so, please, amuse me.¡± Kvothe had been baiting the older man. His many questions about the book could not be possibly answered by the count, but seeing the importance that book had to Charles gave him hopes of reducing that amount. The book contained detailed descriptions of various techniques, with mana flow and uses included. However, some of the skills the author only described the effects, saying that he had not been able to see the mana flow, despite the things done being impossible to achieve through sheer force. The author¡¯s qualification could not be denied since many skills were high leveled, meaning those he was not able to identify were something different. Maybe it was something no one knew about. ¡°First of all...¡± Kvothe wanted to make sure of some details before asking the juicy questions, ¡°Why are you so interested in the content of this book?¡± Charles chuckled at the question. ¡°Can¡¯t an old man have a hobby?¡± That was not a valid answer. The book had sensitive information about a huge number of advanced techniques that could make its owner invincible. It was not the kind of book someone would search for hobby. It was something one would search in order to rule the world. Seeing the wary look in Kvothe¡¯s eyes, Charles sighed disappointed. ¡°You really saw the potential of this book...¡± The count said in a low tone, ¡°This book was gathered at a friend¡¯s request. A dying wish, if you will. Not that I¡¯m not interested, but I don¡¯t have any ruling ambition.¡± Kvothe kept glaring at him, so he continued. ¡°I wasn¡¯t born to lead and, to be honest, never wanted to. I¡¯m still waiting for the day someone worth of being the new ruler of Rhodium appears. Until then, I¡¯ll keep doing my best to not screw everything up.¡± ¡°Why share with me, then? I¡¯m not someone suited rule either.¡± Kvothe¡¯s suspicion disappeared and he was now intrigued, ¡°Is this another attempt to make me join the army?¡± The count¡¯s face contorted into a scowl, showing the struggle that happened inside him mind. Kvothe wondered what dilemma was going through his head when the count reached a decision. ¡°Do you know who Yoshi Yukimura was?¡± Charles asked in a serious tone. ¡°Of course.¡± Kvothe answered promptly, ¡°He was Cain¡¯s master and creator of my sword style. He is also really famous and appears in a few of the books you lent me.¡± Charles once again pondered a for a while before saying. ¡°He was the one that asked me to find that book.¡± Kvothe nodded asking for the count to continue, ¡°He had a deep interest in Ver¡­ in sword styles. Since he was a friend, I told about this book. The book was regarded as a legend, something that held the key to most of the skills in Versailles continent.¡± ¡°Why would he need that if he was as powerful as the stories say?¡± Kvothe interrupted, ¡°I read tales of him facing hordes of powerful monsters alone and returning unscathed.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I understood what went through Yoshi¡¯s head.¡± Charles admitted, ¡°All I know is; He was a curious man, especially when the subject was martial arts. Every city he visited, he tried to learn about their local fighting styles, their dance, their culture¡­ Anything that could be translated into martial arts.¡± ¡°And how does that explain why you showed it to me?¡± Charles took a deep breath. ¡°Yoshi¡¯s disciples were wonderful people and powerful warriors. Despite that, none of them have what their master and you have in common. And I think Yoshi would say that was his most important treat.¡± Anxious, Kvothe waited for an explanation. ¡°That something that makes you do something without a proper reason. That thing that defies logic and drives you to make something great.¡± Charles made a pause that Kvothe was certain was only for show, ¡°What Yoshi and you have in common isn¡¯t power, intelligence or looks. What you have in common is curiosity¡± **** The group turned as one, startled by the sounds of rustling leaves. One would think that would be a common sound if inside a forest. However, wind never make into the heart of the forest, not one as dense as the one they were in. Jurgen¡¯s hand slowly moved to the hilt of his sword as a shadow rose from one of the nearby bushes. He was about to draw the sword when Yoshi touched his shoulder from behind. ¡°So you decided to accompany us.¡± Yoshi said at the human shaped shadow. The figure stepped into the light, revealing to be one of the tall elves from the village. This one however, had a bulkier figure that showed he wasn¡¯t as nimble as the other elves, but would never lose in a contest of strength, even if the opponent were dwarven. ¡°Yes.¡± The elf said in a low voice, ¡°That is the path I chose. Even if my village exiles me, I¡¯ll follow it.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t exile you.¡± Yoshi said, his tone not totally serious but confident, ¡°They shouldn¡¯t, at least.¡± The joke had the opposite effect, and the elf¡¯s resolve seemed to falter as he looked the direction he came from. The village¡¯s direction. Seeing that, Jurgen took his hand from the hilt of the sword and walked in the elf¡¯s direction, extending his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Jurgen said with what he thought was a friendly smile, ¡°My name is Jurgen.¡± With a face of disgust the elf backed away from Jurgen, who got annoyed by it. Jurgen was about to chase and beat the elf, but Yoshi moved faster and was on it¡¯s side. ¡°Everyone, this is Arthur Lothbrook, blacksmith and now swordsman in training.¡± Yoshi said hurriedly, ¡°Arthur, these are Jurgen, Cain and Resnun. Welcome to our little troupe.¡± **** Kvothe looked at the man across the table, trying to put the few pieces of puzzle he had received in their places. ¡°The author was obviously accomplished in reading mana¡­ But some abilities he couldn¡¯t read because they were above his level?¡± The count confirmed with a nod of his head, yet he was skeptical. He could somewhat read his master¡¯s mana flow, and they were at least 200 levels above his. Was it because he was a player and the author an NPC? Or did the lack of evidence mean something? Kvothe was about to ask another question when he heard ping sound that came out of nowhere. ¡°Excuse me, Charles.¡± He said looking at the sender of the private message, ¡°I have to take this one.¡± ¡°Do you need privacy?¡± The count asked, ¡°We have a few reading rooms that you could use if that is the case.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Kvothe said with a smile, ¡°Its about the matter you helped me with last week.¡± Charles¡¯ face became expectant, obviously eager to know the outcome of Kvothe¡¯s crazy plans. He had helped him as payback for helping the city and was even able to get him a lower price than the current market. Kvothe swiftly handled the interface, writing a message back and confirming the payment with the bank when the count¡¯s patience wore thin. ¡°So? Is it done?¡± Charles asked, his face smiling anxiously like a child¡¯s. Kvothe took his eyes of the screen and smiled at the older man, ¡°Are you free tonight? **** Kvothe knocked three times at the door and a familiar female voice answered. ¡°Who is it?¡± The voice asked from inside the house. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Kvothe said and the door immediately opened. The woman¡¯s face smiled brightly, but her eyes were lifeless, as if her soul had been ripped from her. ¡°Kvothe!¡± Lorraine greeted him, ¡°I fear Ca...¡± ¡°No time to waste.¡± Kvothe cut her off, shoving the package he brought with him in her face, ¡°Put on these and come with me.¡± She fumbled when getting the package but hurriedly went to the bedroom to change her clothes. In less than ten minutes she left the room. She was stunningly beautiful, leaving Kvothe even more proud of his work. The dress she wore was his best work so far. He had used legendary level materials obtained with so much difficulty¡­ Yet he was sure it was worth it. ¡°It certainly fits you.¡± He said as he appreciated his own work. ¡°You¡¯ve become a real tailor.¡± She complimented him with a smile, ¡°I couldn¡¯t do better myself.¡± He knew that was just her modesty talking. Months, or even years, of training would be needed before he got close her level. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Kvothe said, abruptly turning and leaving the house. ¡°Wait! Kvothe!¡± Lorraine screamed as she tried to catch up with him. Kvothe stopped as he reached the street and waited for her. She approached him and held the arm he offered. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a surprise.¡± He answered with a smile, ¡°By the way, what do you think of my clothes?¡± She eyed him suspiciously but answered the question, her voice with a hint of spite. ¡°You¡¯ve done a good work.¡± She made a dramatic pause, ¡°But you were sloppy when making the collar and the waist.¡± ¡°Who said I was the one who made this?¡± Kvothe challenged her. ¡°Pft...¡± She snorted, ¡°I can recognize my style from miles.¡± They¡¯ve discussed and walked for a while. She was so into it she did not notice the big man waiting in the middle of the road. He wore black formal clothes with a coat of arms embroidered on the left of the chest. Two beautiful tigers and a sword composed with such quality they seemed real. ¡°Kvothe!¡± Cain said looking at him, ¡°What is it? Why did you send that boy for me? And why am I wearing this clo...¡± It was then that he saw Lorraine. He became mute and just stared at her. She looked back at him, the lifelessness of her eyes being replaced by a glimmer that you couldn¡¯t help but smile when seeing. Kvothe took her by the hand and offered to Cain who took it, still gaping at her. ¡°Now we can go.¡± Kvothe said walking away. ¡°Go where?¡± Lorraine asked, ¡°You never said where we were going.¡± ¡°You know...¡± He said passing by Rhodium¡¯s fountain on the main square, ¡°I never gave you two a wedding gift.¡± The amount of people around the fountain seemed strangely small today. The square also seemed cleaner than usually. Kvothe went up a flight of stair of a nearby building and waited at the door for the two to approach. They slowly made their way to the top of the stairs. ¡°I hope you like it.¡± Kvothe said opening the double door. A rain of applauses and cheers filled the air, making lots of curious heads turn to them. The applauses came from their friends who filled the inside of the building. It was a party. As soon as they entered music began playing and people came to the door to greet and congratulate the couple. Everyone was there. Charles, Jurgen, Ella, the old district shop owners, Lorraine¡¯s clients...Even Arthur, who didn¡¯t like to mingle with humans much was there and seemed happy. Every guest handed them a gift that Kvothe promptly took to a table. Soon they piled into a mount that no man would be able to carry by himself. Kvothe returned to the couple and saw that they had just been greeted by the last of the guests. ¡°Wow!¡± He said amazed, ¡°Never thought this would be so tiring.¡± Cain approached and gave him a sudden hug. ¡°Thank you, boy.¡± That was the first time Kvothe was happy to be called boy by the master, ¡°You have no idea what this means to us.¡± ¡°I never thought I¡¯d have a wedding party as grand as this.¡± Lorraine said, tears forming on the corners of her eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡± A mischievous smile sprout on Kvothe lips. ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaken.¡± He threw something at cain who caught it in the air, ¡°This isn¡¯t a wedding party. This is a inaugural party.¡± Cain looked at the object he was holding and gaped. It was a silver key. ¡°Welcome to Lorraine¡¯s.¡± Spoiler : Sorry for the delay in releasing this chapter... Lots of stuff happening, lots of updates to make to the site. Hope you enjoy it :grin: Teaser (CH 8) And Discussion. Hello ladies and gentleman...and you neutral beings. Welcome to my Teaser and Discussion topic. I had this idea when it came to me that I''m a slow writer, and even slower editor; Why not tease the readers with pieces of the chapter I''m currently writing?! Well...it''s pretty lame and quite sadistic of me, since it could be totally a lie (I like editing my chapters a lot, so most of the stuff I write suffer changes) and I''d probably be a mean person and post the most awesome part of chapter, but the basic layout would be already there. Also, this is a good topic for you to discuss what you''ve thought about the story so far, and what you''re predicting for the future. Its not only for stealing your ideas, but it also works as a boost for me when writing. This is a spoiler zone, so its highly recommended that you''re up to date with current FF chapter before reading further. Teaser Chapter 8.
Quote:Kvothe logged back in game and found himself sitting on the bed where he had left. He rose from the bed and made the usual set of movements he found helped him readapt to his ingame body. Immediately after, he opened the door and went into the living room. Sunlight bathed him as he entered the room, and he saw that night had ended. Jurgen and Arthur were sitting there, talking with Cain. He could hear the buzz of people below. Lorraine had already opened the shop and was already working hard. ¡°Good morning, masters.¡± He greeted bowing his head. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Good morning, Kvothe.¡± Cain answered, ¡°Do you have a moment?¡± The noise coming from the people downstair grew louder. Lorraine needed help. ¡°Will it be fast?¡± He asked his masters, ¡°I think Lorraine need some help downstairs.¡± ¡°It will take a while.¡± Cain said, ¡°But its important enough to keep you from Lorraine a bit longer.¡± Kvothe raised an eyebrow at the masters, wondering what was so important that couldn¡¯t wait a few more minutes. He sat on a sofa opposite to the three older men and noticed that they all had wrapped packages. What the heck was going on? ¡°Hirao Kvothe.¡± Arthur started, ¡°It¡¯s only been a few weeks since you¡¯ve started learning from us. However, we¡¯ve already run out of things to teach you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve shown all qualities a great swordsman should possess.¡± Jurgen continued the speech immediately, ¡°Patience, perseverance and wisdom. And above all, a talent with the sword that is only seen once every one hundred years.¡± ¡®Did they rehearse this speech?!¡¯ Kvothe held back his laughter. ¡°Therefore,¡± Cain continued, ¡°You¡¯re from now on a swordsman of Yukimura School.¡±
While you''re waiting, why don''t you try another FF (IMO it''s much better than mine) Claret by Innotui The Ranker by SnowMelts Att. CurvinhO