With less than 35 gold left between my two pouches, paying 1 whole gold for a al - even if it was an all-you-can-eat buffet - didn't feel good.
Of course, I still had 100 gold safely laying in the bank, but that didn't reduce my psychological reluctance.
‘Well, this is gonna be on the lower end of my expenses today.’
The Slayer trainer did not arrive yet. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though - at the very least, I would make full use of my gold coin.
The at I chose, being the only ‘limited’ portion, was chicken, as its portion sizes were by far the largest.
It was broiled to a thin crunchy exterior, but the interior was still juicy. Also, it was served with creamy mushroom sauce, which had so black pepper in it.
For the side dishes I took a few cups of steamy mushed potatoes, with so butter and milk clearly mixed in, and sothing that looked and slled like green peas, but was slightly larger than the largest peas I've seen on Earth. Perhaps it was just a different strain of a similar plant.
Of course, I also loaded my second plate with various vegetables, including juicy tomatoes, so kind of lettuce, and a light-red vegetable which was already cut into square strips, and tasted like a saltier cucumber with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
And finally, I managed to shove a bowl of vegetable soup onto the over-encumbered tray.
After my humble als at the temple yesterday and today, as well as the recent training session, my body, which was still recovering from blood loss, was demanding substance, in a quite ravenous manner, at that.
I began devouring my al, keeping an eye on the entrance.
I did notice a few strange glances being thrown my way, but those started way before I even picked up the first dish, and their number quickly dwindled down to an occasional glance by one of the newbies (judging by their equipnt and general aura).
It would seem my recent fight with the nobles poured so fuel into the fire of my notoriety, but not to the extent that most people would care.
‘There he is.’
By the ti I was nearly done with my al, I finally saw a large, muscular man, with black hair and a chin that clearly hadn't been touched by a razor since the last ti I saw it, enter the cafeteria.
He noticed my gaze half a second after passing through the doorway. Of course, it wasn't as if I was trying to hide it.
After looking at each other for a good five seconds, with sitting in my corner and him standing in the ‘special staff queue’ (behind one receptionist), he subtly nodded, before turning his head.
It probably ant he was going to co to , but since I was going to take a second filling of soup, our eting would start slightly sooner.
“What? Refills are free. And today's soup is nice.”
John raised his eyebrows even higher, with his questioning gaze clearly unrelated to my choice of food.
“Umm.. I heard you are the Slayer trainer, so I thought…”
Suddenly, I beca increasingly self conscious about bothering the man right before his al. However, to my relief, he took it in stride.
“What are you looking for?”
“I need more information about advancing my Path.”
“So, Path counseling?”
“That, and there was one sword stance which I needed guidance on.”
“Hmm..”
The man in front of was contemplating his answer, as both of us began walking towards my table (which had room for four, while being completely empty beside ).
“Do you have ti right now? Or, rather, after I finish lunch?”
I nodded.
“Excellent. I can spare two hours. This will be 30- no, I'll make it 25 gold, since it's your first ti.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
Neither of us felt any need to speak any further for now. I quickly finished my soup, and told John I'll wait for him in the open training yard, which wasn't far from this building.
After a dozen or so minutes of swinging my sword, I saw the man approach over from behind the main building.
“That’s a.. peculiar style.”
I spun my sword one last ti, driving it into the soft soil and placing a hand on the hilt.
“This is.. I honestly don’t know what it’s called. It was taught to by my father when I was younger.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“He must have been quite the swordsman.”
“Probably. Never got the chance to ask.”
Realizing the conversation was flowing into awkward territory, the Slayer trainer decided to change the subject.
“I could give so pointers, but to be fair, in order to truly teach, or advice on a sword style, I must first know it myself.”
“Oh, no, no.”
I waved my free hand in an attempt to dispel the misunderstanding.
“I an, I wouldn’t mind a few pointers, but it’s a different, defensive stance that I’m having trouble with.”
It's not like my swordsmanship in the ‘Flowing Sword’ (the final na I decided on, after finding ‘Flow Style’ too bland) was perfect, but with the basics engraved into this body, precise training instructions engraved into my mind, and countless demonstrations of the perfected style engraved into my very soul, I had a clear path ahead of , even if the endpoint was far, far away.
“Here are so things I managed to figure out until now.”
I quickly raised my sword, placing it vertically in front of , and changed my footing to a more stable one. Then I demonstrated so of the quick defensive swings, as well as the ‘punishing’ swings intended to control the imdiate area around .
“Hmm… I think I know what this should be. Tell , where did you pick this up?”
“I fought a hobgoblin in so Dark Region tunnels last month.”
“Oh? There must be so story behind that.”
The mild surprise on John's face didn’t last long, as a serious expression - one befitting an instructor - quickly replaced it.
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“This looks like the ‘Scythe Bear Style’.”
“The what style?..”
The large man chuckled.
“Scythe bears, despite their terrifying appearance, tend to be quite peaceful. That's why, sotis, they simply defend themselves, or guard the entrance to their burrow, rather than charging at the intruders. When they do, they stand on their hind legs, using their massive claws for both deflection, and to quickly swipe at whoever dares approach, be it to attack or sneak past them.”
The trainer unsheathed his own sword.
“This style focuses on the sa principles. Watch closely.”
His stance was similar to mine, although just by watching him now, I could see the minor differences between our footwork. Combined with the slightly different swings, angles and arm movents, the resulting style was much more stable than my own, and would be able to receive attacks with greater ease, and deliver punishnt with greater swiftness.
“Now, try to emulate the initial stance. No, right leg slightly back… your arms are a bit too high… Here, like this.”
Over the next hour or so, I received many practical pointers, detailed instructions, and advice on how to train it in the future - all accompanied by practical demonstrations.
I now realized how far my makeshift style was from the optimal path - just by adjusting my self-taught footwork, posture and maneuvers to the ‘correct’ way, I felt my effectiveness in this defensive style tangibly increase, especially after I eradicated so of the harmful habits.
“Good. For soone who'd been training a flawed version, you managed to adapt quite well. Almost too fast - I was hoping for another 15 gold, honestly.”
The trainer's solemn delivery almost made feel like he wasn't joking with that last bit.
Regardless, I now only needed to persist in proper training, both to keep those bad habits from resurfacing, and adapt the ‘default’ movents - a few of which still felt a bit rigid - to my own way of fighting.
For a mont, I considered asking about the second style I saw when fighting that hobgoblin, but I quickly discarded that thought.
The overhead style seed extrely aggressive, and I definitely felt its strength, but it also seed very vulnerable. Sure, I cared about killing my opponents, but not to the extent that would let them - or their allies - answer with a potentially critical blow in return.
With that, the practical part of our session was over.
“Now, let’s go to my office. It seems we have a lot to cover.”
***
“Oi! Yellow Tear! And make this one double!”
“Coming right up!”
The tavern was quite lively for this ti of the day, the buzz easily rivaling that of the usual peak hours, which were typically closer to midnight than noon.
The patrons were nurous and varied, ranging from plainly dressed clerks, to a few craftsn, as evident by their soot and chemical stained leather aprons, to so city guards, and many unidentifiable civilians.
The largest group, by far, were caravan guards, most still wearing the standard chainshirt, with a bunch of halberds laying near the four tables they occupied. Judging by their looks, this tavern has been their first destination upon finishing their long journey, taking priority over places like an inn or a bathhouse.
Most of the people sat at the tables, so finishing their lunch, others simply talking over so drinks. The latter scene was also taking place over at the long bar, where, among the other n, sat two dwarves - one dressed in city watch gear, the other most likely an adventurer.
“By the life of , Ornor. You are a Path-bearer now. Surely, ya can afford sothing better than this piss?”
As the overworked bartender hastily placed two massive, one liter mugs on the smooth wooden counter, the adventurer looked at his drinking buddy with insult evident in his eyes.
“Don't get all snobby on now! You used to drink this piss with for over a year! Or did this cozy job make you into a wine-lover?”
“Oh, sod off!”
With a chuckle, suggesting this type of banter was nothing out of the ordinary between the two, both n raised their mugs, gulping down a sizable part of their contents.
“Ah.. this hit the spot.”
Judging by the satisfied tone, Ornor held the cheap drink in high regard, despite his buddy’s slander.
“You still hanging out with that long-ear?”
“His na is Xin. And he's a proper lad, that one!”
“Uh.. alright, alright. I'll take your word for it.”
It was evident that despite their usual antics among their companions, the dwarf would defend his friend's honor against any perceived slight when it ca to it.
“Anyway, how was it? Pine Harbor?”
The guardsman’s eyes shone with curiosity, albeit a mild one.
“Not much more than you'd expect. Although the party we ended up joining ended up becoming the local heroes, hehe! I tell ya, by the ti we left, my boss could give the local Guild branch leader a run for his money!”
“Sounds like there must be a few proper tales, buried among all those mundane missions you must've taken over the years.”
“Hmm… There are a few. Usually, the local watch took care of the truly dangerous incidents. But! Those guys can't always be everywhere at once. Let tell you about that one ti a group of bandits raided the town outskirts - right when the sheriff was busy dealing with a bunch of goblins at the lumber yard! Must have waited for that chance for weeks, the bastards. Would’ve gotten away with it, too, if we weren’t around.”
For a while, the two shared their tales, adding to the cacophony of voices in the busy tavern.
“Ha! Serves them right! Damn beasts…”
The two took another large sip out of the half-empty mugs, which had already been refilled twice.
As per the unspoken rule, it was the guard's turn to share a tale.
“J-just recently.. hik.. a bunch of damn syndicate thugs attacked a Sun Temple carriage. A Solar Order paladin! In broad daylight, too! Just a twenty minute walk from here…”
Unbeknown to the city dwarf, the eyes of his drinking buddy flickered with interest.
“Ah! I heard about that one, too. It was a Crimson Shadow, wasn't it?”
“Oh? I see this story has already grown its wings. Aye, an assassin from the Crimson Shadows was leading that ambush. And his henchman brought Imperial Abominations with them. Imperial Hounds! To the eastern industrial zone, in broad daylight!”
“Sound like a brazen bunch, indeed.”
“You’re god damn right they are! This whole case went to the MIS. Those bastards can crawl back to their filthy sewers - won't save them for long!”
“By the way…”
Ornor, less interested in the fates of the small fry, decided to focus on a different topic.
“I heard their target wasn't the paladin. Rather, the paladin was escorting soone.”
The city guard looked around in caution, then lowered his voice.
“Aye. And that young man gave them quite the fight, too. Managed to kill one of the beasts and one of the n, then stall them just long enough for us to arrive and chase them out to the sewers, all while slipping away at the last mont.”
“Oh. How did he manage that?”
“Carried a Darkness Sphere with him. Then, allegedly, used so technique to break into so workshop's 2nd floor office. All the while, his greatsword did so heavy lifting.”
“Hmm…”
“But that ain't even the end of it! The Crimson Shadow, filthy rat bastard nad Zod, ended up following him to that office. When we got there, we found the youth laying on the floor in a puddle of blood, with deadly poison coursing through his veins! And near him, the assassin, half his skull cleaved, and his rotten heart finally pierced.”
“Poison, you say?”
“It was nothing major - the standard antidote did the job. However, now that I think about it, he was one tenacious kid, to have survived that long, and recovered that quickly.”
“A regular human? Not a dwarf?”
“Nay, just a human. Though perhaps he had so dwarven blood flow through him, haha!”
“Ha! You know what, I wouldn't mind sharing a drink with that kid. Sounds like he might be able to hold it.”
“Perhaps you're right! Although, given the circumstances, he might be getting ready to join the Sunborn. And those guys drink nothing but their ceremonial wine! Hehe..”
“Heh, you might be right. Still, if I ever see him, I ought to offer him a drink, even if he refuses- oh, actually, how does he even look?”
The 2nd dwarf hesitated, but after a few seconds, he must have co to a conclusion that nothing bad would co out of divulging this type information over a few drinks with an old acquaintance.
“Slightly above average height. Black hair, a bit ssy... Green eyes, sharp and cold, just like the rest of his face. Actually, he did not look like one of them sun folks.. but I doubt he'd be much of a drinking buddy, either.”
“Hmm… indeed. Perhaps it's best we share another lunch sotis, instead!”
“Ha, indeed. Oh, damn it all! I need to get back to my post!”
The dwarven guard emptied his mug, just as his old acquaintance did the sa.
“Good to have you back, Ornor! We usually co here with the boys. Next ti you're free on Respite night, you're welco to join!”
“Aye. Take care.”
As the city guard rushed back to his duty, Ornor's expression was still that of deep contemplation.
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