I readied my blade, pointing it between Rhovan and the sky.
Rhovan studies my like he's surveying a test subject. Setting his shoulders.
I steady my breathing, closing my eyes briefly before opening them.
One deep breath in.
Rhovan: "Whenever you're ready."
My mind goes blank. It feels like how it did when I cut the drunken man's hand.
It's like I can't see anything except him and his sword. I can't hear anything except his breathing and the shifting of his clothes.
I lunge. No thought, just motion, the blade coming down from the sky like thunder. Both hands firmly wrapped around the hilt, putting force behind the swing.
He blocks above his head, swinging my sword to the right. His left.
No thought, just motion. It doesn't even feel like I'm in control of my body anymore.
It feels like the blade is pulling me to each attack.
Swing from the right. Blocked
Bring my left hand off the middle of the hilt and to the end, pressing on the bottom of the blade to thrust it forward. Pierce. At his chest. Blocked and redirected to the left
Bring my sword to the left, around and down, blade pointing towards him. My left hand found its way back onto the hilt.
Use the momentum from the block to swing up, lunging forward to close the distance as I swing.
Rhovan jumps back, spacing perfectly to let the blade fly past his face without a cut while losing no unnecessary distance on me.
I almost cut him. If it weren't for his reaction time I surely would've put a massive gash in his chest just now.
My left hand falls off the hilt as the blade gets above my head.
I jump and pierce from the top. down at him. He runs the side of his blade on the edge of mine, pushing down and driving it into the dirt
How did I do any of that? I've never moved like that before. I think.
Rhovan stood on my blade before I could pull it from the ground. The dust settled down from around both of us as we stopped moving.
Rhovan: "Stop."
As I exhale my lungs scream. I hadn't breathed at all during that whole fight. Sweat runs down my forehead like little rivers. My hands quiver on the hilt of my blade. Everything around me suddenly comes back into focus.
Rhovan: "There's no way you haven't had training. You attack like a man who has been killed hundreds of times before. You used the momentum from my deflects perfectly to sync into more attacks. No normal person. Fuck even most actual soilders or warriors couldnt do it as fast let alone as well as you did just then."
Kareth: "I… don't remember being taught."
He studies me for a long beat. His one clear eye unblinking.
my breathing steadies again. My hands are regaining composure.
Rhovan: "Whoever taught you is one fucking good teacher. None of the pupils I've ever trained except Thyra got even close to a level like this."
I turn to Thyra, who's still training Aric on the court next to us before turning back to Rhovan.
Rhovan: "You need to focus more while fighting. If you let momentum and the flow of the battle dictate every attack you'll end up making a stupid decision and die. Similar to how I just got your sword under my boot, I easily could've killed you there."
I nod along.
Rhovan: "You need to be smarter. Predict what your opponent is gonna do next. Every attack should be thought out and prepared, every block should be covering all the possible options. Being fast enough to fight based on reactions isn't enough."
Kareth: "Ok.. I think I understand."
Rhovan: "No. You don't understand. But I think between me and Thyra we can teach you."
He lifts his boot from my blade and kicks it free from the dirt. Allowing me to pull it back up to position. Though he doesn't ready his sword, instead letting it rest over his shoulder.
Rhovan: "Based on how you fight you won't be very good at defending. I've got an idea as to why but I'll see how you defend first to decide."
I nod as he readies his blade.
Rhovan: "Try to block as well as you can. We're done when I stop attacking."
He moves in, swinging his blade from the right.
I bring my blade to the side to face him and block, pushing forward slightly right before the blades collide to counteract the force from his.
It worked. Though I don't know why I did it.
He picks up the pace, swinging at me a few times from different angles, gradually gaining speed.
I block each one, it gets harder as he starts attacking quicker and from more varying angles.
It feels less like I'm being led by the blade now. I can still hear the world around me. Arics whines as he gets beaten by Thyra yet again mainly, but still I can hear everything.
It's different from last time.
Why is it different?
Rhovan stops swinging. It had only been a minute at best of him attacking me.
Rhovan: "Mind telling me something?"
Kareth: "Sure.. anything.. Probably."
He looks me up and down.
Rhovan: "The person I was attacking just now isn't the same as the one that was attacking me earlier was it."
Kareth: "What?"
Rhovan: "Your attacking and defending are completely different. Did you feel any different during each one?"
Kareth: "Yeah.. when I was attacking you it felt like my mind was blank. I couldn't see or hear anything except you and your blade. Whereas just now I still could."
Rhovan: "So I'm right."
Kareth: "You're right? Oh about your idea?"
Rhovan: "mhm. My idea is that you are. Or were, a person that never needed to block or defend. You were probably taught, whomever taught you to fight like that was so good they must've taught you. But you never exercised it because you didn't have to. You fight like you always struck first. Keep your opponents on the defensive until you kill them. You lived so long by ending every fight before it even truly started."
The words hang heavy. I didn't know how to respond. My chest feels tight. Anything I could say would either be revealing too much or admitting something I shouldn't.
I shake my head, trying to think of something to say.
Kareth: "I… I haven't been trained before. I don't remember ever being trained."
Rhovan's eyes narrow. For a moment I think he's going to press it further, but instead he just exhales through his nose. Dropping it entirely.
Rhovan: "Denial or not, your blade doesn't lie. Though we all have our secrets and dirty pasts, so I won't press it further."
There's so much I don't understand. Even more now that I've done all this. Why does it feel like my blade is fighting for me? Why do I feel completely different while defending and attacking?
Rhovan suddenly speaks up. Yelling at Thyra and Aric.
Rhovan: "That's enough for today. You gotta get outta here."
Thyra: "Sure. Both of you will come back tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll train Kareth and Rhovan will train Aric."
Aric puts the sword back on the rack and walks to the exit. Thyra stays behind, talking to Rhovan as I follow Aric out of the courtyard and back onto the streets of Esmourne.
Aric waves at Thyra and Rhovan as we leave.