Henrik woke up.
And he learned something new
"So, that is how it is?" he asks himself. There is still a lot of things he didn't know about the mechanism of his death loop.
But now, he understands at least one thing about it
"I could progress"
Right now, Henrik is back at the top of the hill. Miklos is once again talking about the hills and introduce Matthias to him and they talk the same thing once again.
Henrik would interject here and there, asking and saying the same thing. But his thoughts right now are different from the thought he had before
Right now, he is not on that muddy area instead, he is on top of the hill.
The very same place where he had scouted the hills and valleys and had a plan to regroup
"I'm not on that muddy land now!" this is the discovery that made him elated.
One of his biggest fears that if he died, he has to start all over again. Have to start at that muddy place, his face and mouth filled with mud and shit and blood
Had to fight the squire again. All the while Miklos is talking Henrik confirm a few times. He confirms that his strength is still there. It is not like he is fully rejuvenated but it is the same stamina and strength he had when he reached this hill
"Is the hill a safe point?" he thought to himself. But once this thought arises in his mind another thought rises
How is this safe point decided?
The criteria for a safe point…. what is it? It is not like he is the one that decided this safe point. He decided to call the current place as his safe point
He terms it as a safe place that he would spawn in after his death. The muddy battlefield is his first safe point. And this is his second safe point.
Now, what is important to him is how this safe point is decided? Is it by distance? If it's by distance, how?
"Distance alone is not enough" Henrik remember the few first times that he had died.
If distance is the criterion, then there was a time he got pretty far away from that muddy battlefield.
He dies at that time.
And he returns back to the muddy battlefield.
So, distance alone is not enough.
It is either not enough or it was never about distance.
Is it where he dies?
That does not make sense either. The first few deaths had confirmed this. Not to mention if distance equal to the place he dies is the criterion for this safe point, then he should appear near the wagon, around Benedek
Not here on the hills
"Maybe….it is because this place is safe?"
Henrik look around him while Miklos is talking. Before he is looking at the hills. Now, he looks at this place itself.
"I could catch my breath here, have some time, even listening to Miklos explain some thing to me. Is it because after the first safe point, and after passing my first death point the safest place after passing through that level….it then designated this place as my first safe point?"
Thinking about it, it might be true. After all, if it's based on his death point, then the mechanism of this death loop could easily just spawn him a few seconds after he had defeated that squire.
But no.
the death loop did not spawn him there. Instead, here, on this hill.
There must be something about it.
"I need to have a few more death point and safe point to confirm this. Or maybe…. there are no rules at all and after this I might just get spawned back on that muddy battlefield again." Randomness. That is what Henrik fears the most right now.
For a moment Henrik close his eyes and takes a deep breath.
"My mistake was that I was not fast enough." While closing his eyes he tries to remember back to that moment. It was like he is replaying back the battle before.
He was showing off.
He pierces the enemy throat but the sword stuck.
Maybe at the bones.
Of course, if he is a perfectionist, he might try to do this kind of attack again.
Only this time he would make sure to pierce that person throat at the right angle. So that the sword would not get caught at any bones.
Not to mention human flesh is also quite strong.
It's pulling momentum seems to be even stronger than the mud that keep grappling his feet.
But Henrik is not a perfectionist.
"At that time, instead of trying to showing off, that place was open, the opportunity is there and my hand could do the move. So, I pierce his throat. "
Also, at that time he is high on victory. Now that he had died again, that high is already gone.
He is quite calm right now.
"Then two people rush toward me, one had an axe, one had a mace. The axe seems heavy but that person could easily wield it. The mace seems polished, being killed by such a weapon would not be pleasant."
"Another mistake is to expend all the energy I have to fight that person"
"Because of the use of force, I easily dispatch him, but then I forgot the subsequent moves. This is not a movie where he would wait for me to finish attacking. The only way they would wait if the space doesn't allow them to enter or worrying about injuring their allies. If not, they all will attack him from all directions"
Henrik is trying to dissect his moves before and try to see where he did go wrong. and once he started looking at it, he notices, there is a lot of things he got wrong
And he could not help but sigh
"Then I die" Henrik remember vividly how he did this time. One hurls a throwing axe at him and the other smash his skull with the mace
This throwing axe is small and thin and is on the side of that enemy hip.
It is not the large axe that he brought along with him while he is charging at him.
That throwing axe barely grazed him.
But it is still painful.
And it staggers him for a few second. It's not like he is strong enough he could just shrug it off. Pain is pain. No matter how many times you feel it, pain is pain.
Maybe someday, he could treat pain just like nothing
But clearly…that someday is not today
If he just got nicked, then he could still fight.
The throwing axe did not even hit the fighting hand.
Instead, it hit his other hand. It is the skull smashing by the mace.
He was distracted.
He moved at that time by instinct. He dodges the throwing axe but before he could steady his feet, the mace come
"So, this time no attack on the throat. Maybe a slice. If it's a slice I need to keep my distance so that after I slice him, I could still have soe space to retreat and dodge and be stable" Henrik opens his eyes
Then he follows exactly what happens before.
Once again, they rush toward the wagon, Miklos once again talk to Benedek.
They once again talk and Henrik waited.
Why?
Why does he repeat everything the same as last time?
Simple.
Timing.
This is something he had learned and it is one of the most important things he had learned after his many deaths
Timing is everything.
Whether you are a bit slow or a bit too fast, certain things changes depends on the time.
It is the same when he tries to get this sword and it is the same when he fights the squire.
Before fighting, you use the timing. But when you are in the fight, timing is no use. You have to rely on yourself and what you have learned from your death.
If there are things, he did not want to recreate he would break from the routine. If it is something he wanted to recreate back, then he would follow the routine almost religiously and that is what he is doing right now
And just like before, he runs again toward the hill while shouting to cover him
..
"A person would appear from the stone"
And just like clockwork someone appears, rushing toward him. A slash. Before he had rushed forward and jump.
This time, he simply dodges it.
Even though his reflexes have improved after he kills the squire simply dodging the attack of someone leaving only inches of difference between life and death is still something that is hard to do.
But the reason why Henrik could do it almost effortlessly lie this lies on only one reason
He had seen this person attack before.
Rash, and have low stance.
Before, he was anxious.
And he too was rushing. So, he did not notice it. But before he enters this battle, he had replayed the battle before in his mind and he realizes as much as he is panicked and rushing, the other people are also like him.
Unless they are a knight that is fully armoured, most common soldiers are panicked, and rushing and their moves are not exactly polished
"Precursor to my death"
Before he did not dodge. Because he did not know. That time his sword clashed with this person
And he was pushed two steps backward.
A strong enemy. The force in its strike is punishing.
"Time based' he thought to himself. Before, he lacks time. Because he was forced backward, his momentum was extinguished and his rhythm had been destroyed. This time, a swift slash, and a swift dodge and the initiative is still in his hand
This time he did not even need to look left and right, and he knows there would two people that would try to attack him
Trying to encircle him
All of this took some time to describe but from the moment Henrik dodges the attack, only a few second had passed.
"Now!'
..