by Virlyce
***
“Uh, Durandal…?”
“Yes, Lucia?”
Don’t respond so calmly!
Durandal raised an eyebrow. “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there an issue?”
“Yes.” There’s a seriously big issue. You could even call it huge. A disaster of epic proportions. “You wanted me to do what? I must not have heard you properly. …Right?”
“Then I’ll say it again. Listen carefully this time. Since you’ve completed 100 Breaking Blades in a day, the level of difficulty obviously has to be stepped up.” How’s that obvious!? “Pay attention. From today forward, you’re going to perform Breaking Blades 100 times a day—underwater.”
No. No, no, no. I refuse. “Yeah…. That’s what I thought you said the first time. I think I heard it wrong again. Could you repeat that?”
“Get in the water, Lucia.”
I stared at the rushing rapids before me. If I took a step in there, I’d be swept off my feet and drowned in no time. If I didn’t break my head on the rocks downstream before that, that is. Fierce creatures with sharp scales and massive teeth stared back at me with unblinking eyes, waiting. Waiting for the food known as Lucia to step inside and accept her fate. But I’m not going down that easily!
“I refuse!” Catch me if you can! There’s no way in hell I’m approaching those waters! There’s no way in hell I’m approaching any water! I already told Durandal I can’t swim. How could he even ask me to do something like that? While I ran through the forest, a white blur appeared in front of me. “Get out of the way, Snow! Breaking Blaaaade!”
“Lucia!?”
I ignored Snow’s pained shout and rushed past his corpse—err, unconscious body. He shouldn’t have died from that, right? That doesn’t matter! If Durandal catches me, I’ll die next!
“Lucia, stop! It’s just a pond! Why are you running!?”
It’s Bouncykins this time? Why does everyone insist on sacrificing me to the river spirits? Were they praying for rain? “Get out of my way, you stupid rabbit! I’m tired of you always making fun of my intelligence. Breaking Blaaaade!” Eh? I missed.
“I’m a hare, not a rabbit! There’s a difference!”
“Rabbits and hares taste the same when you cook them! Breaking Blade!” Wow. Now I know why Durandal was surprised when I hit Bouncykins the first time. Why can’t I hit him? “Breaking Blade! Breaking Blade! Break! Break! Break! Break, damn you!”
“Lucia! You’re destroying the forest!”
“Fuck the forest! My life’s more important!” Bah, I ran out of qi. Damn. If I don’t get rid of Bouncykins soon, Durandal will catch up. “Take this! Normal strike!”
“Guwah!?”
Whoa. Rabbits fly far when you hit them with a two-ton sword. Good thing I hit him with the flat of my blade, or he’d be dead. I’m so merciful, aren’t I? But why did that connect, but the Breaking Blades didn’t? Anyways, it doesn’t matter, important things, Lucia! Keep running.
I don’t know how much time passed, but I ran far enough to no longer hear the sounds of the river. Just when I was taking a quick break, a voice interrupted my peace. “Lucia.”
Gack! How did he catch up to me? Wait, he’s not here?
“Down here…”
“Mini-DalDal? You can speak?” Why didn’t you ever say anything before? You sound exactly like Durandal. I almost got a heart attack because I thought it was him. “Your spirit body is a total jerk! I hate him!”
“…Lucia. It’s Durandal.” A mist flew out of mini-DalDal’s handle and congealed into Durandal’s spirit body. “If I’m separated from my weapon body, I’m automatically transferred back inside of it.”
“…So I can’t run away from you unless I abandon mini-DalDal too?”
“Why are you objecting so much to this training? Didn’t you say you’d work hard and not slack off? I don’t think I’m asking a lot from you.”
“I … dislike water.” Don’t look at me with such a baffled expression! What’s wrong with hating water? It’s not like you need it to survive or anything. Gosh.
“Don’t you take the longest amount of time to bathe? Aren’t you the one who insisted Snow had to bathe too? Just think of it as bathing while swinging your sword.”
“When I bathe, I dip a rag in the water and wipe myself off. I don’t actually go inside.”
“…You hate water that much?”
Do I tell him? I think I’m going to cry if I do. Maybe I shouldn’t.
“Lucia? Are you crying?”
“No!” Stupid tears, quit betraying my resolve!
“Durandal. Lucia?” How did Bouncykins and Snow catch up so quickly? I’m sure I incapacitated both of them! “What did you say to Lucia, Durandal? I know she acted unreasonably, but why did you make her cry?”
Snow, I never knew you were so nice. I think I judged you wrongly.
“I wanted to get revenge and make her cry first.”
Never mind. Die in a fire. Stupid harekin or rabbitkin or whateverkin-you-are man.
“You didn’t tell her you’d disown her again, did you?” Bouncykins asked.
Again!? Wait, no. There was that one time. I remember now.
“No…” I didn’t think Durandal could ever look guilty. Who knew? “Please stop crying, Lucia.”
If I could control my tears, you wouldn’t have had to have asked. Stupid. Well, since I’m already crying, I might as well tell Durandal and them…. “W-when I was little…” Holy shit, don’t all stare at once. I’ll get nervous. “My family was very poor. Very, very poor. We can’t afford any more kids or we’ll all starve to death kind of poor. And, poof, I appeared in that family.”
“Oh.” Snow’s face paled. “Oh. I’m sorry, Lucia.” He shook his head and left the area, taking Bouncykins with him. He’s a beastkin. It was obvious what was coming next.
“They tried to take care of me and everyone else. I think they did well for a while, but my grandpa really hated me because he got less food. Half a carrot a day, I think? So he took me outside, brought me to the barrel of rain water…, and tried to drown me.”
“And that’s why you hate water?”
“Right! Good thing my grandpa died of a heart attack the next day and our family finally had less mouths to feed, right? It let me survive for a few years before I was sold off to the slave trader. Happy endings all around! Yay.”
***
How can Lucia talk about such sad things with a happy smile on her face? It’s unconvincing with the tears running down her cheeks. It’d probably be inappropriate to tell her she looked like a ghoul right now. So instead, I simply stepped forward and hugged her. Isn’t that what she did for me?
“D-Durandal?” Lucia sniffled and gazed at me like a frightened animal. “You’re not thinking of throwing me in the river still, are you?”
…I was. Water training is crucial to mastering one’s body! At least that’s what the books say. But she didn’t have to do it right now. There were other activities she could do to train her body as I slowly got her to adapt to the water. I didn’t think this would be that much of an issue—it’s not like she’s a cat-type beastkin. “Not right now.”
“…Can you amend that to not ever?”
“I’ll find a smaller pond than the one before.”
“Pond? You call that a pond? That was a fierce river!”
“No…, that was actually a pond. The water was still.” I might not be able to read maps, but at least I know the differences in bodies of water.
“But the monsters inside waiting to eat me!”
“Goldfish don’t eat people, Lucia.”
“I’m sure that’s because they haven’t met anyone as tasty and helpless in the water as me! I’ll be the first person to be eaten by goldfish. Is that the legend you wanted me to leave behind? The girl who was eaten by goldfish?”
“Would you be willing to start with a puddle?”
“A small puddle. A small, small puddle that’ll disappear into
my socks if I step on it.” Lucia’s hair bobbed up and down as she nodded at me with puffed out cheeks. Well, at least she wasn’t crying anymore. That was a good sign, right? “We can start with that, okay?”
“…I’ll sharpen some bamboo spears.”
“Eh? What do bamboo spears have to do with water training? Y-you’re going to stab me with them, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m going to plant them into the ground, and you’ll perform some footwork on top of them. Swordsmanship isn’t just about swinging your sword. It’s also about controlling your whole body to use your sword in the most effective manner. From your toes to the top of your head, every muscle in your body should be in tune with the sword.”
“You’re going to plant the bamboo spears in the ground spiky end first, right…?”
“Who was the one that said she wouldn’t slack off? I think it was you. If you don’t want to do the water training, we can start with the footwork training instead.”
“Then the spears…. You’re going to make me stab myself on the spears! That’s even worse than you stabbing me.”
“Aren’t you a squirrel? This shouldn’t be difficult.” It’s just balancing on bamboo poles. I can do it with my eyes closed. Of course, Lucia will be able to do that by the end of the exercise. I can’t wait to get some archery practice in. Hmm? What does archery practice have to do with Lucia’s training? Nothing. Nothing at all.
“I’m a ground squirrel! Tree squirrels don’t hibernate! And what is that expression on your face? You’re definitely thinking of some new way to torture me. Stop it.”
“A squirrel is a squirrel is a squirrel. Even a human could do the footwork exercise if they put their mind to it.” Roland was the one who insisted on trying it after reading it on a technique manuscript, and it worked out pretty well for him. Not like he used his footwork for anything other than sneaking around though. “But since I don’t have anything ready for today, just do 200 Breaking Blades.”
“Are we counting the ones I used on Snow and Bouncykins?”
“No. 200 more.”
“I’ll die.”
“Work hard, Lucia.” You won’t die. If anything, 50 pounds will be added to mini-DalDal tomorrow. Now that I think about it, Lucia can carry a ridiculous amount of weight. She might be on par with the lionkin who always insisted on dueling Roland…. That’s just in pure strength though. Why did her family think she was the weakest of the litter when she’d be classified as a high-classed warrior based on her strength alone? It couldn’t be that she’s weak compared to most beastkin, right? Snow’s a wimp, so that’s most likely not the case.
“Motivate me.” Hmm? How would I do that? “In a positive way! You definitely thought about stabbing me with spears if I failed.”
“What exactly do you want for motivation?” It’s true Lucia said she’d work hard and not slack off, but she was bound to lose that motivation after a while. It can’t hurt to indulge her every now and then.
“Every five Breaking Blades—no, every three Breaking Blades, I want head pats and praise. Every five Breaking Blades, I want ear scratches and praise. Every 10 Breaking Blades, I want a delicious snack made by Snow. When I reach 200 Breaking Blades…” Lucia’s face turned red. “I want you to hug me and tell me you’ll never leave me.”
Before I could speak, a voice came from a nearby tree. Was Snow a tree rabbit instead of a ground rabbit because apparently that was a thing for rodents? “Lucia…. It’s not good to fall in love with a weapon spirit, you know that?”
“Shut up, Snow! No one asked you for your opinion!” Lucia threw mini-DalDal at him, destroying the tree he was standing on. I should really teach her a retrieval skill since she insists on throwing my weapon body so much. It’ll be possible for her to learn if she can reach 500 Breaking Blades in a day. “Get ready to make me 20 treats!”
I glanced at the rabbit who landed on my shoulder.
“You’re going to indulge her in this?” Bouncykins asked, looking at me with a strange expression on his face.
“Why not? It can’t hurt.”
“You’ll get attached,” Bouncykins said, watching Lucia chase after Snow. “You both will.”
“Isn’t that fine? Most weapon spirits die with their owners.”
“But you’re Durandal.”
“So?”
Bouncykins sighed. “Never mind.”
5
Before I met Durandal, I was a luggage bearer and sparring dummy for the soldiers in the army. After I met Durandal, I’m a luggage bearer and experimental dummy for Durandal. It feels like my life hasn’t changed much. Every day, when the sun rises, I wake up from my horse stance feeling 100% rejuvenated. I do 66 Breaking Blades in the time it takes Snow to wake up and make breakfast—the fact that my training wakes him up is irrelevant. In the afternoon, I perform another 66 Breaking Blades while traveling until it’s dinner time. After dinner, I finish up with 68 more Breaking Blades until it’s time to fall asleep in my horse stance.
I’ve been following that routine for a solid two weeks now, eating 20 treats, receiving 40 ear scratches, 67 head pats, and 107 lines of praise from Durandal every day. So this is definitely a lot better than the Ravenwood army—it’s satisfying! But today, Durandal finally finished collecting enough wooden spears for a full set of footwork techniques. He said there’s a total of 81 positions in the Steady Mountain Footwork’s manuscript, and I’m going to have to learn them all. Did I ever mention how he makes me carry those wooden spears while practicing? At least it’s not heavy like mini-DalDal whose been upgraded to 5,000 pounds since I, uh, did some … things … to make Durandal mad. It wasn’t even that bad!
“Are you ready, Lucia?” Durandal stood atop the field of wooden spears, his image like a dragon perched on its roost. Will I ever look as imposing as him? Snow says I won’t, but his opinions don’t matter.
“Maybe? I mean, yes!”
“Good. Watch carefully.” Durandal stepped from wooden spear to wooden spear, twisting his waist, his legs, even his upper arms on occasion. Even if it’s slow, how am I supposed to remember all of this!? After an hour of moving, he stopped and stared at me. “Did you see?”
“Yes.” But I don’t remember! “Can you show it to me again?”
“Your turn.”
“Can you, uh, put numbers on the sticks so I know which one I’m supposed to step towards?” Squirrels aren’t good at memorizing things. We store away food but forget where we store it, and it ends up growing into a tree or something. It’s very upsetting. Why couldn’t I have been a crow instead?
Durandal stared at me like he was staring at a child. He sighed. “Very well. I think that would be the simplest method.”
“You’re the best, Durandal.”
“Isn’t that cheating?”
Shut up, Bouncykins. You always pour cold water on my good things.
“Is it?” Durandal’s eyebrow rose as he stared at Bouncykins.
“For her to fully comprehend the footwork, shouldn’t she not use numbers?” Bouncykins’ ears smacked away a few flies buzzing around him.
“There are geniuses who’re able to comprehend and memorize actions just upon seeing them,” Durandal said and nodded his head. “Clearly, Lucia isn’t one of them.” Hey. “The only way for her to learn is through repetition. Lots and lots of repetition. Eventually, after the movements become second nature to her, she’ll comprehend them fully.”
“That’s cheating.”
“If I have a way to impart a technique on Lucia without going through the standard channels, then I’ll do it.” Durandal nodded. “Why should she have to create her own path when people before her have already paved the road?”
“I thought you were an old-fashioned stuffy,” Bouncykins said and tilted his head.
“What’s the old-fashioned way of learning the Steady Mountain Footwork?” I’m curious now. This seems hard enough as is.
“The person who created this wanted to be as strong and as stea
dy as a mountain, hence the name,” Durandal said. “He figured the best way to do that would be to walk up mountains during landslides, smashing everything in his way. These are the movements he found most efficient in accomplishing his goal.”
“…Wouldn’t he have to wait for landslides to occur? How did he do that?” The heck? There’s like one landslide every ten years or so in the southern pass. How long did that take?
“I’m just repeating what I read in the manuscript, Lucia. Whether or not it’s true doesn’t matter. Everyone who learns the Steady Mountain Footwork follows these movements.” Durandal was already carving numbers on top of the wooden spears. “Once you memorize the movements, I’ll show you how the qi should flow inside of your body to bring the most out of it.”
“Can’t I just apply qi to every part of my body at once? Then I’ll hit all the required spots, right?”
“Theoretically, it’s possible,” Bouncykins said. “But you’ll exhaust yourself. It’s like how you’re supposed to circulate your qi to only the tired parts of your body during your horse stance. You can only do it because you’re sleeping while you hold your stance and your qi regenerates while you sleep, which is beyond abnormal, but you can’t do that with the footwork.”
You’re always pouring water on my good things, Bouncykins. That’s the second time in five minutes.
“Don’t look so glum, Lucia. I had to do something similar to learn my Wind Shadow Footwork.” Snow nodded. “It’s why even Durandal has difficulty hitting me.”
Bop.
Difficulty my ass. “So why can’t you dodge my normal strikes?” I stared at Snow, who was covering the lump on his head with his hands. The culprit, mini-DalDal, was trembling after colliding with Snow’s head. Maybe one of Snow’s magic tools boosted his defense. Did I tap him too lightly?
“Alright, Lucia. I finished numbering the platforms.” Please don’t call wooden spear tips platforms. “I’ll be following along, correcting your posture as you take each step.”
