Hex closed the book after reading it twice. He made sure he didn't miss anything.
His eyes gleamed with a new understanding about the concept of strength.
Basically, the author of the book was a knight who had struggled to use a sword properly with his great strength.
Either the swords broke or he had to hold back. Both were fatal shortcomings in a fight.
Opponents on his level were quick in inflicting fatal damage when given the slightest of opportunities.
After struggling and surviving, the Knight developed the bearhanded sword. It helped use the right amount of strength with a given sword.
'The technique lets the user divide his strength in smaller amounts. And based on the quality of the sword, the user can control the amount of strength he transfers through the weapon.'
It was easier said than done, but Hex was hopeful. He believed that in time he could control it.
Hex's first approach was to try to adjust his grip. He tried to divide his grip in three phases: loose, medium and tight.
Sadly, it didn't work. When he held the sword loose, the aim was off. With a medium grip, the sword bounced back and nearly cut his hand. And a tight grip resulted in the sword breaking.
'Not enough. Maybe a bit tighter and slower.'
Hex was unwilling to give up. He tried a few times more. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't make much progress.
Crack!
'A fourth one,' he sighed. He sat down feeling drained. His arms were hurting and the last hit emptied his energy. The mark dimmed before he had hit the padded plate.
He picked the book once more. He went through the content, trying to find a clue.
"This thing is a hoax."
"Why not include how to divide fucker?"
"At this rate I won't be able to light up the third crystal!"
Irritated by the lack of clues he threw the book away. He hadn't meant to, but the book landed on the staff embedded with the crystals.
Hex had thrown the book in anger, his eyes fixed on it. He watched it hit the staff as he spat the last sentence.
Maybe it was the combination of both, but as soon as the book hit the staff, Hex's eyes widened.
A new idea formed in his head.
"What if I use the crystals as the division markers? They are already there."
The more he thought about it, the more it looked viable.
"I am such an idiot. Instead of trying to focus on the third crystal, why not try to see the amount I need per crystal. Once I can judge that, I can try to up the energy, one crystal per time."
Having found a way forward, Hex felt motivated again. He stood up and wanted to continue at once.
"Fuck. I am still out of energy."
This was Hex's first experience running out of energy. He didn't know how long it took to re-energize.
"This way I can only train once a day with the mark," he sighed. He decided to spend the rest of the day training, relying purely on his muscle strength.
He held the sword and slashed out. He made sure to use less strength. It was the least amount he could exert without relaxing his grip.
'One crystal,' he guessed in his head. He wanted to check if it really was as he believed it to be.
Bang!
The white light shot out the bottom, filling the first crystal. But it didn't stop there. It went further.
Hex thought he failed, but the next moment his eyes opened wide. The light filled the second crystal half and then…it fell back.
"Fuck yeah!"
He realized he wasn't exactly at once crystal, he had overdone it. But not by much. He needed more tries.
The first success led to more. By the time his arms slumped, he had managed to light the first crystal ten of ten times.
He even upped the force and managed to light the first two, five out of ten times.
"Tomorrow I will try this using the mark. I am sure I am on the right track. If only there was a way to recover my energy faster."
It was already late in the afternoon when Hex left the training room. The first place he went was to the kitchen. But Wallen stopped him midway.
"Master has summoned you."
'Am I his pet?' Hex felt irritated but he decided to follow Wallen without complaint. For better or worse, he had to accept the baron as his master, which meant accepting his attitude.
Hex met the baron at the same table they had eaten the day before. The servants were already placing the trays on it.
"I hear Hestia taught you a few things. Did it help in understanding the technique?" The baron asked after they finished eating in silence.
"Yes," replied Hex. He hesitated a bit, but decided to ask anyway. "Is there a way to accelerate my energy recovery?"
Hex felt awkward asking the man for help, but he had no other option. The baron remained silent for a while. Hex almost gave up hope, but then he replied.
"There are potions and arrays that do that."
Hex felt overjoyed. There was a way. If he could get these potions, he was certain to reach initial mastery of the technique.
"Do you have them?" He asked expectantly.
"Yes."
"I need…"
"Five hundred coins for a vial."
Hex's mouth fell wide open. The words vaporized.
'So expensive?' Hex almost cried at the price. But then he thought of something. He turned towards his master.
"Ahm, m-master…shouldn't you just give me some?" He asked with a wide fake smile.
"Why should I?"
"Well…you are my master?"
The baron looked at him without blinking. It made him a bit uncomfortable but he met his gaze.
"I can give it to you on credit. Take it from Wallen."
Hex jumped out of his chair. He waved the baron goodbye and ran from the table.
The baron's gaze didn't leave him till he disappeared from sight.
After a while the baron pulled a round object from his furred jacked.
His ember eyes glowed as he looked at the picture inside the holder.
"I still think I should have killed him."
…
Hex found Wallen quickly. He explained to him the reason why he needed it.
Luckily Wallen didn't let him wait too long. He retrieved a thick vial with green viscous liquid.
"You should drink it in one go. In one second the taste will attack your buds. You won't be able to drink it for a while then."
Hex pulled the stopper and downed the vial in one gulp. At first he felt his chest get warm, but soon he understood what Wallen had meant.
"Arghh!"
"Ughh!"
The taste was vile. Hex had once drunk gutter water by mistake. He needed days to get the taste out of his mouth. But compared to the stamina potion as Wallen had called it, the gutter water was akin to fresh juice.
It took Hex quite a while and a lot of water to recover from it. By then, his energy had also recovered.
"This thing is magical," he whispered in awe. If he had many vials, he could increase the time spent in training. 'I just need to get used to drinking the devil's piss,' Hex grumbled.
Back in the training room Hex picked up another sword. It was the last remaining one.
He took his time focusing on his muscles, his power and the phantom bear paw. He had to balance them. If he made one mistake, he would either not light anything or break the sword.
Suddenly he jumped. With one powerful swing he slashed out.
Bang!
The sword vibrated in his hands.
The red light shot up.
The first crystal glowed.
Then the second crystal burst in light.
Hex felt his heart go wild in his chest. The light creeped upward. Would it fall short?
Hex's eyes remained on the third crystal.
'A little bit more.'
Hex wished silently.
It was very slow. Almost stopping.
And then it happened.
The sword stopped vibrating. And a third crystal lit up.
'Finally.'