The next lesson was absolute pain. Master beat me with a stick without giving me anything to defend myself.
"O-Ow! What the hell?!" [Solace]
"Block it!" [Vincent]
So he said… though I don't think my bare arms will do much against a goddamn stick.
"How! It hurts!" [Solace]
"Then parry it!" [Vincent]
"Easy for you to say!" [Solace]
Master's fast as lightning, making it impossible to track it with my eyes. Even if I could react, it would be me letting out a grunt as I get hit.
"If you can't parry it, dodge it!" [Vincent]
"I'm trying!" [Solace]
I sidestepped, rolled, and backed away as an attempt to get away. Unfortunately, my monster of a Master could redirect his attack mid-swing. It was like his stick had homing on it.
"Can't you give me something to defend myself?!" [Solace]
"You have hands for a reason!" [Vincent]
Master beat the daylights out of me. Thrusting and slicing were his go to attacks, along with the occasional feint if he sees me trying to block. After smacking me around for five minutes, Master gave me a moment of rest.
"Finally… A break…" [Solace]
I fell flat on my ass, letting out a sigh of relief.
("Everything hurts…") [Solace]
I tried moving my arms, but all I could feel was a throbbing pain. In fact, I think it went numb.
"...Master, why are you hitting me with a stick?" [Solace]
Hearing my question, Master took a seat before me and shook his head.
"My dear disciple. What do you think is the strongest weapon a person can have?" [Vincent]
The first thought that came to mind was a sword, but that didn't feel quite right.
"Uh… A… spear…?" [Solace]
It was a weapon that could fill many roles. You have the advantage at a distance compared to a sword, and you can adjust its length by handling the shaft.
"And why do you think that?" [Vincent]
"It has more advantages than a sword?" [Solace]
"Hm… As expected of my disciple. You have quite the sharp mind, but it is not sharp enough." [Vincent]
Waving his index finger side to side, he clicked his tongue.
"Then… What do you think is the strongest weapon a person can have?" [Solace]
"Simple." [Vincent]
Balling his hand into a fist, Master brought it to my chest.
"Yourself." [Vincent]
"Huh?" [Solace]
Not going to lie, I thought this was the part where he gives me a cringy speech about hope or something. Either that or friendship.
"What do you lean upon when your weapon breaks? A sword may shatter, a spear may snap, and the line of a bow may be cut. In the end, you only have your body." [Vincent]
"Huh… When you put it that way… I guess it makes sense?" [Solace]
Master nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Now do you understand?" [Vincent]
"Yeah… But how am I supposed to deal with an actual sword with my bare hands?" [Solace]
"Hm. You'll figure that out as we go." [Vincent]
"I… don't think that's how it works…" [Solace]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
After that little break, we resumed my training.
"Block it!" [Vincent]
"I know!" [Solace]
Unlike before, my eyes adjusted to the speed. Though I still couldn't see the stick clearly, I was able to barely keep up.
"Ow!" [Solace]
Of course there were some errors along the way. Many, MANY, errors. I have to tell you, it really hurts when your finger gets smacked by a stick.
"Oh, you're getting the hang of this!" [Vincent]
Thirty minutes passed, which almost had me pretty comfortable with blocking now. The strategy I used against the stick is to soften the blow with the palms of my hands, or try to catch it.
"I believe you may want to try parrying or dodging now." [Vincent]
He retained the same speed, allowing me to push aside the stick after some practice. After another ten minutes or so, I was quite proficient in evading and parrying the stick.
"You're improving rapidly! As expected of my disciple!" [Vincent]
"Yeah! Maybe I can move on to the next lesson!" [Solace]
"Is that so?" [Vincent]
The moment I heard him say that, I knew he was planning something terrible.
"Wai- hold on. Is it me or are you swinging faster?" [Solace]
"I am swinging faster." [Vincent]
Within an instant, I was set back to square one. My blocking became sluggish, and my earlier skills were a jumble.
"You best get used to it. Solidifying your foundation is the first step." [Vincent]
As he battered me, I made one fatal mistake.
"Uh oh." [Solace]
Accidentally messing up my parry, the stick struck my face.
"Ah." [Vincent]
That was when everything started going dark. In the background, I could hear Master's voice.
"Perhaps it was too early. I think I should make him toughen up beforehand. Yes… Let's do that shall we?" [Vincent]
After hearing that, there was only one thought in mind.
("I'm going to regret waking up aren't I?") [Solace]