"The first thing my teachers taught me was to keep a stable base"
Lila stood in front of Roger, Vronti held in her hands as she spread her legs out to shoulder length. She lowered herself just slightly.
"You want a good foundation so you can take a hit without toppling over. Losing your footing in a fight can be a death sentence, so always try to maintain it."
He watched her intently, hoping to memorize her techniques so he could do better in his next fight. This lesson, however, didn't seem too useful.
"How is that supposed to help me against bigger enemies, like the Spike-Tailed Tiger?"
Lila gave him a withering glare.
"Think deeper than that! A proper stance can also help you put more power into your swings, or move out of the way faster. You also can't rely on your opponents always being bigger than you. What happens if you are facing something your own size, or another human?"
That caught Roger by surprise.
"What do you mean another human? Why would I have to worry about that."
Lila shook her head in disappointment and stood upright, holding Vronti to her side.
"Avar isn't like Earth. It's not industrialized or modernized, at least not yet. Anyone can be summoned here, as you've found out, and those people aren't always good. Once you factor in the powers that everyone obtains, you make a very dangerous combination."
Roger felt stupid for not realizing it sooner.
It made perfect sense, of course, that some of the people living on Avar wouldn't have been fit for civilization. He knew plenty of inmates that, if given the opportunity, would love to vent some of their inner frustrations on innocent people.
They were the same ones who enjoyed crime for the fun of it.
The ones who saw it all as a game.
Roger couldn't help but think about how lucky it was that he was sent to Avar instead of one of the sadistic ones.
It could be the reason dozens of people kept their lives.
Not that he cared much about things like crime or casualties, but he would still rather see innocent people left alone rather than butchered. It was human instinct.
He shifted his feet, bringing them shoulder-width apart, and tried to lower his center of mass.
It was an awkward position, and he didn't feel very stable.
"I'm not sure this is having the intended effect."
Lila didn't respond with words, instead walking up to him and giving him a slight push.
To his surprise, he barely moved at all, the energy of the action distributed across his entire body.
"You see? Fighting isn't all about feeling your way through things, even if that's part of it. You need to know what works, even if it doesn't feel right in the moment."
Roger nodded begrudgingly, the proof too clear to argue against.
'All this is doing is reminding me how much I was cheated out of by having criminals for parents.'
He banished the thought, realizing it wasn't the time or the place.
Seeing it he had mostly absorbed the lesson, Lila switched to another topic, backing up a few feet from Roger and lifting her sword with both hands.
"Watch my body closely."
Roger immediately felt himself turn red but obliged, trying to notice whatever it was she wanted him to.
He was meticulous in controlling his gaze, not wanting to give her the wrong ideas.
'I might have grown up in a prison, but I have standards gods damn it!'
She leaned her shoulders forward as she brought the blade down, flexing her legs and pushing forward with her hands. Even her stomach twisted slightly with the action, her abs tightening to generate more power.
The result was incredible.
The steel edge cut through the air, causing a whistling sound, and dug into the dirt at her feet.
With a quick jerk, Lila pulled the blade free, sending small clumps flying. The blade, however, was still clean, not a single blemish on its pristine surface.
Roger couldn't help but gape at the blow, astonished at how such a small person could deliver so much strength in a single strike.
Noticing his gaze, Lila smirked, clearly enjoying his amazed look.
"At first, I thought power came from your arms, but I was taught that when fighting you need to draw strength from your entire body. A majority of it comes from your legs, but your arms, abs, and shoulders help too. You should also let gravity pitch in whenever possible."
Noticing he hadn't stopped staring, she blushed slightly before abandoning her stance and turning away.
"You know it's rude to stare at a lady like that."
Snapping out of his trance, Roger awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry, I was just really impressed. I wasn't expecting to see you hit with so much force!"
Lila's face became an even brighter red, but she did turn back to face him.
"Anyone with training can do that, probably better than I can. Remember that I was only given a basic amount of instruction on fighting. Even then, part of my swing was inspired by the knowledge Vronti gave me."
Her mentioning the artifact's strange ability reminded Roger of a question he had.
"If your sword gives you an understanding of sword fighting, why can't you just tell me what you know now that you have him?"
Lila gave him a complicated look as if she was struggling to respond.
"It's difficult to explain. When I'm wielding Vronti it's like my body knows how to do things my mind doesn't. Unlike you, I have to feel my way through a fight, otherwise the ability is useless. I'm guided by instinct, not training, and I can already tell that it won't be useful for long."
She looked down at the blade with a mixture of pride and disappointment.
"One of the first things I will do when I make it to a city is find a proper swordsman to teach me, that way I won't need to rely on my artifact as much."
Roger wasn't sure if he felt pity or annoyance at her description.
On one hand, he thought it was almost laughable how she was describing her ancient lighting sword from one of Avar's most ancient and powerful heroes.
On the other, he could see how disconcerting it could be to have a power that doesn't feel like your own. Roger couldn't imagine fighting through instinct alone, abandoning your logic and reasoning to trust a sword you only obtained a few days ago.
"How was it that you did that again?"
Roger drew one of his own blades, grabbing it with both hands and assuming the stance he had remembered Lila using.
It once again felt awkward, but less so than the first time.
'Maybe the weight of the blade helps it feel more firm?'
"Close, try to keep one foot slightly in front of the other, and don't keep your legs so wide that you feel like you will fall."
Roger listened to her and adjusted accordingly, realizing that it did feel better now. More solid.
'Okay, we got this. Just remember what she did and copy it. She flexed her muscles, letting them generate her power, and brought it with a clean blow.'
He lifted the blade above his hand with both hands and waited for her approval before continuing.
She gave it with a nod, and he brought the weapon down.
Roger felt the muscles in his body respond instantly, his legs and abs tightening and his shoulders rolling forward as the metal shortsword plowed into the dirt, sinking much further than Lila's had.
A small cloud of dust appeared near the sight of impact.
Now it was her turn to look bewildered, her eyes bulging as she watched him strike the earth.
She shook it off much quicker than he did.
"Wow, that was amazing Roger! You copied what I did almost perfectly, you must have some kind of talent for swordsmanship!"
He smiled at the praise, overjoyed at doing something she found impressive once more.
Roger yanked the blade free of the soil and rested the tip by his feet.
"Thanks, I just did what you did."
Lila shook her head.
"Nonsense! That takes skill! I have my artifact to guide me, but you just did the same thing without it! That's not a common feat."
He raised his hands in mock defeat, outwardly accepting her compliments, but inside he felt something was off.
The sword didn't feel special in his hands, but the actions came easily.
The only thing he could think about was his thoughts when preparing for it.
'I wasn't thinking about my own movements, but hers. It felt so easy when my focus was on someone else's method. I wonder why that is?'
He didn't have long to ponder the strangeness of it before she decided to move on to the next move.