The Conciege
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ROTLE- Chapter 68- Trump Card
🕑 Added 2024-11-16 04:02:08 +0000 UTCThe sound of clashing metal seemed muffled in the evening air.
Dull.
Aiden moved to the side, blade twirling as he moved to strike again. He went for his opponent’s weapon and not the opponent himself. Blades clashed again, the sound rang through the open space.
Again, it seemed muffled.
Dull again. Aiden frowned.
Three strikes and three parries. He wouldn’t call it boring, but it was dull. Something was wrong somewhere.
He stepped into his opponent, baited them with a feint to the right only to strike from the left. The feint was a success but he missed the strike on purpose.
Valdan staggered away, evading Aiden’s missed strike. The knight had been fast but not fast enough. If Aiden hadn’t missed, he would’ve nicked his shoulder.
He’s distracted.
Aiden changed his stance, raised a guard arm and settled the flat of his sword upon it, sword arm drawn back in a stabbing stance. The point of his sword was perfectly aimed at Valdan.
Valdan watched Aiden’s stance, but there was no competition in his eyes, no challenge. He was trying to be here, Aiden could see it. Unfortunately, he was failing to be here too.
Aiden settled onto his legs, tightened his stance, then sprang forward.
Valdan didn’t even wait for him to cross the distance before swinging his sword. An arc of bright yellow mana cut through the distance, crackling with the force of lightning. It charged the air as it came at Aiden.
It was a powerful strike, and Aiden remembered Valdan attacking him with something similar in their early sparring sessions.
Sadly, it would’ve been deadly if it had been timed properly. Avoiding it was one of the easiest things he’d ever done in a battle as he halted his attack and stepped to the side. In a proper fight, if you were truly trying to win, you would always wait for your opponent to commit to their attack.
He didn’t even give me the time to be sure I wanted to strike.
Valdan’s lack of attention was slowly beginning to annoy Aiden. Perhaps he’ll pay attention if I make him.
Aiden’s evasion caught a bit of Valdan’s attention, though. He saw as the knight’s eyes widened a little, then sharpen. Unfortunately, it did not last.
They dulled almost immediately as Aiden attacked him once more.
Valdan turned two of Aiden’s strikes aside, metal ringing through the air as he did. But Aiden did not let up. Fighting with the basics, he depended on speed. He struck at Valdan’s hip, stabbing forward, and Valdan turned the blow aside with his sword.
Right shoulder. Left hip. Aiden grew more annoyed as he picked out Valdan’s openings.
He did not strike at them, though. Instead, he swung at Valdan’s head. Valdan leaned back fast enough to avoid the blow, eye widening at the deadliness of it. A second too slow and he would’ve lost his head.
Then pay attention, Aiden thought as he stepped forward, attacking once more.
A frown touched Valdan’s lips as he attacked first. Aiden turned the blow aside with a flick of his wrist, his blade sending Valdan’s attack astray. He moved in once more, shoulder checked the knight.
Valdan staggered back from the attack. His eyes flared, grew slightly frantic. They ran rampant in their socket as he tried to anticipate Aiden’s next attack.
Aiden moved for a stab to and Valdan twirled his black between them to bat it aside. Aiden kicked Valdan’s front foot out from under him instead. Valdan tripped and fell.
Standing over him, Aiden looked down at him, unable to mask his confusion.
He gritted his teeth with some words ready to be used but held himself back. In an old life he would’ve had words that were very far from nice to say. But that was in an old life—in a life where he had been an instructor.
I am not his instructor, Aiden told himself. It was all he could do to hold back his words.
And he is not a child.
Settling his sword to the side, he offered Valdan a hand. Valdan took it with a look of disappointment in himself on his face.
“That was terrible,” Valdan grumbled as Aiden helped him to his feet.
Aiden shrugged. “Personally, I think it’s just old age.”
Valdan shot him a look but said nothing.
Turning away from Aiden, he began heading for the rack where they kept the weapons. “I think that should be all for today.”
Aiden looked up at the evening sky. It wasn’t even dark yet. Normally, they would spar for a time significantly longer than this, well into the darkness of the night, until the sounds of their footsteps and swords whistling through the air was what guided them.
“You were looking for my last attack with your eyes,” Aiden said, walking up to Valdan so that they strolled side by side.
“I didn’t know where it was coming from,” Valdan answered.
Aiden shook his head. “Yes. But you were looking for it with your eyes.”
“Would you have liked me to sniff it out?” Valdan didn’t even bother looking away from the rack they were heading to.
“Valdan.” Aiden kept his voice calm. “Anyone who has any kind of real combat experience knows that the moment you start using your eyes actively, you’ve lost. You keep your eyes open and watch for movement in your periphery. You don’t focus unless the attack could come from outside your periphery.”
Valdan looked like he was going to object but did not.
Something’s bothering him, Aiden thought. Unfortunately, he wasn’t good at the emotional side of motivating someone built for combat.
What would Zen do?
Zen, his partner in the Order, had always had a way of pulling him out of his head when he was confused.
The question was how he did it.
Aiden paused as he remembered. He’d distract me so that I can handle what’s important in the moment.
And the man had always done it with some kind of joke or goofiness or the other.
Aiden pictured himself being goofy and shook his head.
Well, that certainly won’t work.
They were at the rack now, plagued by their silence as Valdan stewed in his mind and Aiden wondered how he could help.
“I won’t know if you don’t tell me,” Aiden said in the end as Valdan placed his sword on the rack.
Valdan looked at him. “The question is if you’re supposed to know.”
“If it’s going to affect our sparring sessions like it just did,” Aiden nodded. “Then yes.”
Valdan pursed his lips. “Touche.”
That took Aiden by surprise.
“I used it right, right?” Valdan asked.
Aiden nodded. “But on a more serious note, what’s going on? Is it your lady friend?”
“I’m surprised you remembered that.”
“Stoic and broody knight like you trying to get gossip? Of course I’ll remember the reason. So is she the one?”
Valdan shook his head. “My lady friend is fine, Lord Lacheart.”
“Good,” Aiden sighed. “Because the gods know I’m not good with women trouble.”
Valdan chuckled, holding his hand out for Aiden’s sword. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Besides, I’ll expect you to be able to handle girl troubles not women troubles.”
Aiden didn’t hand him the sword. “I’m still waiting for what the problem is.”
“Really?” Valdan gave the sword a pointed look. “What are you planning? Are you going to try and take my head off again with the sword if I don’t tell you?”
Aiden looked down at the sword, then back at Valdan. “It is a possibility.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you have quite the mouth for a boy your age?”
“Nope. You’ll be the first.”
Valdan smiled. “Nope. There’s no way I’m going to claim that honor.”
Aiden watched Valdan as the knight stepped away from him, still smiling. He’s trying to distract me, change the subject.
“I’m a living breathing human being summoned from another world,” Aiden said. “Right?”
“I was there,” Valdan replied. “I was there when it happened.”
“And I have proven myself to be very surprising since I got here.”
“So far.”
“Then let’s pretend that I’m not a child right now,” Aiden said, still not replacing his sword on the rack. “If I’m not a child, and I actually have experience, how possible is it that this is something I can help you with.”
“But you are a—”
“Humor me, Valdan,” Aiden said, his voice stern. “Humor me.”
Valdan went quiet. He took in a deep breath and let it out. He did it twice more. Aiden watched him actually consider.
He knew the moment Valdan was about to shake his head and interrupted him.
“Is it about the threshold thing that your king was talking about?”
“My king?”
“He’s your king, Valdan,” Aiden pointed out. “Your king. Not our king and not the king. I’m not from your world, remember?”
“Is that why you keep calling him ‘your grace’?” Valdan asked.
“In my short time here, I have learnt that that is how you address a king that is not your king here.”
“And will he ever be our king?”
“If I never go home, then it isn’t outside the realm of possibilities,” Aiden said, though he highly doubted it. In fact, he considered it impossible.
Valdan shook his head. “You have the face of a child but the mindset of an adult. It can be disconcerting sometimes.”
With a smile, Aiden gave a bow with a flourish. “I aim to disconcert.”
“Oh, shut up,” Valdan groaned. “But no. It’s not the level fifty issue. I’ve been fighting with it long enough to not be brought down by it.”
“Or distracted by it.”
Valdan nodded.
“Then what is it?” Aiden pressed. “We’re burning what’s left of the evening.”
Valdan sighed, gave it some more thought once again. He was hesitant, very much so. However, Aiden could see himself winning. Valdan was considering telling him. Even now, Aiden was wondering what else he could use to nudge the knight.
A reward? He wondered. But what can I reward him without being suspicious? Will he even believe that I’m capable of rewarding him?
Valdan was still silent. At this point, he looked like someone concocting a plan.
He’s about to lie to me, Aiden realized.
It was sad but funny. It was also understandable. But there was something about lies sprung on the spot that a lot of people didn’t know. If you wanted to make it believable, you needed to mix in some truth.
You needed to embellish a little, lie a lot. But the truth had to be there somewhere, if not you would end up with a lie too poor that it would be unbelievable.
So what will it be? A blatant lie or a believable one?
“I have something I need to do,” Valdan said finally.
Aiden finally placed his sword on the rack. “I’m listening.”
Valdan gave him a look. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope.”
Valdan gestured at the sword on the rack. “You’re like a kid ready for some fairytale, dropped your sword and cast away every other distraction.”
“Stop stalling, Valdan.”
Valdan sighed. “Alright. I’ve got… a promotion exam.”
“A promotion exam?”
“Let’s call it that,” Valdan said.
So an embellishment of the truth, Aiden thought. He’s got an important event where he’ll be tested but chances are it’s not in a good way.
“I’m listening,” he said. “And what is supposed to happen in this ‘promotion exam’?”
“My skills will be tested.”
On Nastild, there was only one way to test a soldier’s skills. Combat.
“How many people will you have to face?” Aiden asked, mind already thinking of possible ways he could help. “One? Two? A lot?”
“No idea,” Valdan answered with a shake of his head. “If it’s one person, they’ll definitely be stronger than me.”
Aiden tugged at his lower lip, thinking. “Are you allowed to kill them?”
Valdan hesitated. “I’m not sure if it will be fair to.”
So yes. “Are they allowed to kill you?”
“They will be trying to.”
Sounds like a clusterfuck to me.
“Alright,” Aiden said finally as a thought came to him. “How often have you fought multiple enemies before?”
Valdan laughed. “More times than you can count.”
“And what are the chances that your opponent or opponents will know how you fight?”
“If they know how I fight, then I’ll know how they fight.” Valdan shrugged. “It will put us on even plane.”
“All I’m hearing is that you’ll need a trump card.”
Valdan snorted. “Unless I can find myself at level fifty right now, that will be quite the miracle from the gods.”
Aiden couldn’t help but laugh as he picked his sword back up from the rack. “No miracle from the gods and no level fifty, but I might have the next best thing.” He gave Valdan a challenging look. “That’s if you can learn it.”
“Learn it?” Valdan asked, confused.
Aiden was taking a risk, but there was a part of him that claimed that Valdan was worthy of him taking the risk.
“When is this test happening?” he asked as he swung his sword.
“Tomorrow evening,” Valdan asked. “Why?”
Tomorrow evening, Aiden repeated to himself. It works then.
It was the time he and the [Sage] were supposed to be training. That meant that the old man would not be present to witness the test. It reduced the risk significantly.
“Alright then,” he said. “You’ll have time. The problem, however, is that you’ll need to pay full attention since I can only show you what I want to show you a handful of times.”
“And what are you about to show me?” Valdan asked with furrowed brows. His confusion was evident.
“Something I learnt where I was before—” Aiden gestured at everything around them— “all this.”
Valdan reached for his sword on the rack and picked it up.
“Okay,” he said, dragging the word with uncertainty.
“All we need now are a few training dummies.” Aiden looked around, eyes finally settling on some training dummies in the corner. “One for a single enemy and more for multiple enemies. I’ll show you a trick I learnt for dealing with multiple enemies in an old life.”
Valdan looked skeptical but did not object. Quietly, he walked away with his sword and headed for the dummies.
While he went, Aiden pulled up one of his life stats.
[Stamina 82%]
“That should be enough for a few techniques,” he muttered to himself.
It was a little disappointing to know that his sparring session with Valdan hadn’t even taken up to twenty percent of his stamina stat.
…
Aiden stretched. To his greatest surprise, he found himself a bit nervous.
He’d done this once in a combat situation since coming back to the past and it had taken a lot out of him.
You sure your body can handle all of them?
He shook his head, focusing on the training dummies scattered around him. Valdan had placed them at seemingly random positions, as Aiden had instructed him, and was now standing off to the side, watching.
“What are the marks for?” Valdan asked.
Aiden had spent some time carving lines on each dummy. The spot between two lines marked locations.
“Well,” Aiden said. “Those are vital points. They deal the most damage if you strike them.”
“So you’re about to show me how to kill a group of men?”
“Correct.”
“Is it odd that I find it a bit worrying that a boy your age is about to teach a knight how to kill people?”
“Not at all.” Aiden stretched some more. “Anyway, just watch. I tried it once when I was in a bit of a bind, and I found out that I don’t have the stamina to do them a lot of times.”
“And what exactly are they?”
“Everyone has the way they fight,” Aiden explained. “You saw the way I grabbed my opponent during the party for those envoys?”
“I did.”
“That’s one way we fight on my world.”
“We have similar moves on Nastild too.”
“This,” Aiden said. “Is a more complicated one that I saw and learnt. I’m not even sure I can show you everything I want to. Still, you should watch. It might be useful.”
Valdan shrugged, then folded his arms. “You’ve got my undivided attention.”
“Good.”
With that, a silence fell over the training ground.
No need to be nervous. It’s just like old times.
Aiden took his stance. He held a hand out in front of him while he kept his sword arm to the back. His sword pointed down and away, carefully behind him.
Almost everyone he’d seen do this had a beginning stance. It was how they were taught. There were times in the heat of battle when people did it without using their beginning stance, but it was always advised that they have one. It allowed you pull out a hundred percent of the technique.
Aiden knew only a handful of people who he’d never seen use a stance. Ever.
He sucked in a deep breath, then let it out. He allowed his attention settle on a single training dummy. It was the one closest to him.
“Second Order sword technique,” he muttered under his breath and really hoped his body could handle it. “Third Flow…”
…Unarmed Robe.
[Dash] moved Aiden, and he shot across the distance. He did not come to a stop in front of the training dummy, instead, he moved a step past it and his sword severed its arm at what was supposed to be the elbow. But he did not stop.
He spun around it, slipping behind it. His sword moved with his momentum, drawing a quick line across its back. Aiden was fast, the world seeming to blur around him. His focus on nothing but the training dummy.
When his spin came to a stop, he was standing in front of the dummy. The tip of his sword had drawn a dip line in what was meant to be its thigh, and he had the end of his blade buried in its neck.
[Stamina 51%]
Aiden stared at his interface as the notification popped up in front of him.
Less than [Rising Dawn], he thought.
He couldn’t remember how much stamina the Order technique [Rising Dawn] had taken from him when he’d used it in the cave but he was sure that this was less.
With a frown, he pulled his sword from the training dummy’s neck and swung it in an arc in a simple flourish. In a real combat situation, the action was designed to rid the blade of blood. In certain situations, he’d seen it terrify whoever was alive to witness it.
[Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!]
[You have used a Flow from the Order Sword Technique.]
[You have used the third Flow of the Second Order.]
[You have learnt Unarmed Robe]
…
[Error! Error! Error!]
[Error detected!]
[Prisoner #234502385739 does not meet the requirement to learn this Technique]
[You have not learnt Unarmed Robe]
“Yea, yea,” he muttered. “You don’t have to keep telling me.”
He would only be able to learn the technique after level fifty. For now, it was too strenuous for his body to pick it as a part of him.
“What the hell was that?”
Aiden turned to find Valdan staring wide-eyed.
“That,” Aiden tapped the head of the dummy with his sword, “was one of the two things I wanted to show you. I really hope you were watching.”
Valdan took a step forward and stopped. He remained wide-eyed, as if he’d just seen the impossible.
“How?”
“Hard work and the ability to sit in front of something all day,” Aiden answered.
Valdan shook his head, as if discarding his surprise. “You have no idea what you’ve just done, do you?”
“I know what I’ve done. I’ve given you a trump card. That is as long as you were paying attention.”
“I was paying attention,” Valdan assured him. “I could barely see you move, but believe me, I was paying attention.”
“Good.” Aiden walked forward, making his way to the heart of the arranged training dummies. “Because I was going to show you four of those, but my stamina’s telling me that I can’t.”
Valdan’s eyes focused. “How much stamina did it take from you?”
“Around thirty percent,” Aiden answered. “Maybe forty.”
“And did you get a notification?”
Aiden paused for a moment. “Yes. Something about me trying to learn a technique but I can’t.”
Valdan snapped a finger at him. “Exactly. On Nastild what you just did is called a technique. And you can’t learn them before level fifty.”
Aiden held up his sword and looked at it. “Sounds like something from a murim story.”
“What’s that?”
“Nothing important.” Aiden lowered the sword, shaking his head. “Just something from my world.”
“Oh.”
“So what you’re telling me is that a string of movements put together creates a technique?” Aiden asked.
“No.” Valdan shook his head. “It’s more complex than that. Anybody can string together a few moves and call it whatever they want. A system identified technique is what happens when you string together a few moves in perfect harmony. To do that, there has to be no break in the transition between each technique. The first strike must flow into the second without any exploitable breaks that will hinder the force of the next blow. It is the perfect combination of moves.”
“I guess you’re welcome, then,” Aiden replied, but Valdan wasn’t paying him much attention anymore.
The man seemed lost in his thoughts, muttering to himself.
“Maybe this is what I need.” His voice was barely audible as he stared at the ground with thoughtful eyes. “If I can perfect a technique, it might force the push to level fifty. In a combat situation it could be dangerous. I might have to…”
Aiden placed the tip of his sword to the ground and rested on the hilt of the weapon. He waited quietly as Valdan tinkered in his own mind. It was interesting to watch the man soliloquize.
Valdan perked up suddenly and met his gaze. “What’s the second one?”
“Nope. Doesn’t work that way.” Aiden wagged a finger at him. “First, I have to be sure that you got the first one, if not, it will be a waste.”
“Aiden.” Valdan fixed him with his stare. “I got it.”
“Really.” Aiden stopped resting on his sword and gestured extravagantly at another dummy. “Then, by all means, show me.”
Valdan frowned, but did not refuse.
Walking up to the dummy that Aiden had pointed out, he took a stance. It was a perfect copy of Aiden’s.
“I’m not saying that I expected you to fumble the stance,” Aiden said slowly. “But I’m quite surprised that you took it quite easily.”
Valdan snorted. “I told you I was paying attention. Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, you take this stance more times than you think when we train. I’ve seen it so much that I’m sure I can do it in my sleep.”
“Oh.” Aiden was a bit surprised to hear that. “Anyway, just so you know, the stance is not necessary. You can use something more comfortable for you. The people I copied the moves from used different stances so I’m sure you can use any.”
“Got it,” Valdan said, but he did not change his stance.
Aiden didn’t press the matter.
Playing the role of spectator, he watched Valdan’s entire attention settle on the training dummy in front of him. His eyes narrowed, his forehead wrinkled.
He’s thinking too much.
But Aiden wasn’t going to correct it. The thing about techniques was that everyone perfected them in their own ways. Zen, for one, always had a smile on his face whenever he used any technique.
It tended to creep people out.
When Valdan finally moved, he did not use the skill [Dash]. He moved with the speed of his own body. His sword struck the elbow of the dummy, missing the area that was marked vital. When he came to a stop right past the creature, his feet were positioned awkwardly, and the flow of his actions were broken by the fact that the dummy did not lose its arm from his swing.
Still, he tried to power through.
He spun behind the dummy, slashing at its back, then spun again. When he stabbed it in the thigh, his entire rhythm was off, and he stopped before stabbing the thing in the neck.
Valdan turned to look at Aiden and there was a terrible frown on his face.
“That felt horrible,” he grumbled.
Aiden shrugged. “You looked like a jepat trying to mate with a teriatop.”
Valdan wrinkled his nose. “That’s a terrible image to picture.”
“Exactly,” Aiden agreed. “Now imagine how it must’ve felt for me to watch a synonym to it in real time.”
Valdan smiled lightly, then turned to the dummy and tapped on its arm with his sword. It let out the dull sound of metal striking wood.
“I’m more confused as to how it still has it’s arm,” he said. “You cut through yours quite easily. And you used one arm while I used two.”
“I always fight with one arm.” Aiden twirled his sword with one arm as if to emphasize on it. “Broad sword, long sword, short sword, glaive, claymore, axe, spear.” He shrugged. “I do better with one armed fighting… okay, well, maybe not spears. Some weapons aren’t made for one armed fighters like me.”
“All you’ve done is brag, Lord Lacheart. None of that explains why you severed an arm with a single-handed swing and a knight failed to do it with a double-handed swing.”
Aiden laughed. “It’s the technique, Sir knight. You started off all wrong and tried to take off its arm with your first swing. Losing the arm isn’t the goal of the technique, striking the vital point is. Which is also something you didn’t do, in case you were wondering.”
Valdan shook his head at himself. “I’m taking lessons from someone I’m supposed to be teaching.”
“I could always just not give you any lessons, you know,” Aiden offered.
“Do that and I’ll strangle you in your bed.” Valdan pointed his sword at him. “I know where you sleep.”
“Yea, Yea.” Aiden waved his words aside. “Try again.”
“If you really understood how powerful a technique is, you’ll be in awe of yourself,” Valdan said. “But I cannot say I am surprised. All you do is surprise me these days.”
Aiden scratched the back of his head and sighed. “I’m not teaching you a technique, Valdan. I’m giving you a trump card. All you have to do is pass your test with it.”
Valdan nodded. “True. May I see it again?”
Aiden frowned. He still had one more technique to show the knight. Expending his [stamina] wasn’t a good idea.
“Alright,” he said. “But just once more. After that, I’ll show you how to use the one for multiple people.”
“Anything for monsters?” Valdan asked as Aiden took his stance.
Aiden froze in place, teeth gritted to keep his mouth clenched shut before he could answer. In the end, he shook his head.
Smart man, he thought.
“Nothing for monsters,” he answered in the end. “But if you’ve got humanoid monsters in anyway, I’d argue that this might be able to work.”
“A shame,” Valdan said. “So no trump card for if I’m facing monsters.”
“Sorry.” Aiden shrugged. “But I can’t help you there.”
He returned to his stance, took a deep breath, and used the technique again. This time the he served the dummy’s arm at the elbow, cut its back, and his sword actually tore a massive hole in its thigh before he pieced it in the neck.
He looked back at Valdan, his breath a little heavier. “Got it?”
“Yes.” Valdan tilted his head to the side in thought. “Looks like that one took a lot out of you.”
It took the same amount as it had done the first time.
“Of course,” Aiden said. “I just told you that it’s a trump card. Maybe a one time use thing. Don’t go trying to use it multiple times or at the start of the fight.”
“If it’s a single opponent, I think I can,” Valdan mused. “End the fight before it even begins.”
Aiden frowned. “Personally, I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s my trump card,” Aiden said. “I’m showing you in case you absolutely need it. If people see my trump card, then it stops becoming a trump card if they find out how you learnt it.”
“If anyone asks me, I can just lie,” Valdan pointed out.
Aiden gave him a look. “Can you? Can you, really? What if your king asks? Can you lie to him?”
Valdan was quiet for a moment before finally shaking his head. “No.”
“Then keep my trump card a secret until you can’t, Valdan.” Aiden retook his stance. “I’ll only show you this once more. After that, I’ll move on to the second one.”
“Noted.” Valdan looked at his right arm, the one that held the sword, then at his left held out in front of him, the blackened one. “How’s the arm? I can’t help but notice that you didn’t use any enchantments this evening.”
Aiden didn’t have to think about it. He hadn’t used any weaving during their training session because Valdan hadn’t pushed him enough to need to use any. All the question did was remind him of how unfulfilling the sparring session had been. It almost made him sigh.
Almost.
Aiden didn’t look at his blackened arm or take his attention off the dummy. He only had one thing to say to the knight in response.
“Pay attention, Valdan.”
Comments
Mr. Iron
I don't see the king agreeing to a death match with the strongest savior they have.
Keven Leigh
Thanks for the chapter dood
xXMetrinSlerbaXx
He's going to have to fight Aiden for the test, right?
