Sid had to rely on misdirection and his knowledge of the human elent she was just relearning. As Oshan pressed her advantage, Sid faked a stumble, deliberately putting weight on his bad knee and crying out.
"Ugh! My knee! It’s seizing up, Oshan! Unsportsmanlike conduct!"
Oshan’s assault briefly faltered, a flicker of doubt crossing her face— the instinct to protect the injured overriding the instinct to win.
It was the opening Sid needed.
He didn’t hit with power; he hit with precision. Using the montum from his fake stagger, he spun his body, letting the movent disguise a quick, low feint toward her ribs. As Oshan dropped her guard fractionally to protect her center, Sid snapped his wrist out, utilizing a quick, open-handed strike— a shoto, that connected sharply and cleanly right beneath her chin.
The strike was minimal in force, but perfectly placed to disrupt her balance and montarily jar her jaw.
Oshan imdiately froze, her body tensing, her feet locked in place. She hadn’t expected the feint to be so quick, nor the sudden, opportunistic counter. Sid quickly hopped back, wincing as his knee gave a sharp protest, but he kept his stance ready.
Oshan slowly lowered her guard. She stood for a long mont, processing the swift defeat. She hadn’t seen the move coming, and he had landed the clean hit. Sid took a heavy, ragged breath, clutching his sore knee.
"Ha! Told ya, River. Still got it. That’s one clean hit. I win."
Oshan remained frozen for another beat, her large chest rising and falling rhythmically. Then, slowly, she straightened her posture, lifting her head. There was no anger, only an intense, analytical focus in her eyes.
"A feigned injury..."
Oshan stated, her voice devoid of emotion, though tinged with slight disappointnt in herself.
"You exploited my hesitation regarding your injured joint. A calculated risk to draw a defensive posture."
She gave a reluctant, sharp nod. "You are correct, Sir Sid. You win. The strike was clean and effectively disrupted my defense."
Sid leaned heavily against the clothesline post, trying to look triumphant while managing the throbbing in his knee.
"It’s not just about hitting hard, Oshan. It’s about hitting smart. You were relying on sheer muscle and brute force, just like a tank. But a guard needs to be clever. You need to use misdirection, exploit the environnt, and always utilize your opponent’s expectations against them."
He tapped his temple. "That little pause when you thought I was hurt? That’s the difference between a great guard and a dead one."
Oshan listened intently, absorbing the critique. Her massive fra seed to shrink slightly under the weight of the lesson.
"My conditioning is purely physical. I lack the strategic component of human thinking. You show that resolve is not enough."
"It’s a start."
Sid conceded, taking a careful step away from the post.
"Look, you’ve got the strength and the speed now that you’ve ditched the armor. Now we need to polish the brain behind the blade. We need to work on environntal awareness and unconventional attacks."
He looked at her, seeing her profound dedication.
"Why was this so important to you, Oshan? Just to prove you were better than so half crippled guy?"
Oshan’s gaze beca distant, sweeping past Sid and landing on the cabin.
"It is not about being better than you, Sir Sid. It is about proving to myself that I am capable of protecting what my Lady cherishes. When I was rely a zombie, I failed to protect her body from the bite. When I am conscious, I must protect her life."
She fixed her eyes on him again, her voice low and serious.
"My Lady has chosen to rely on you. She has placed her trust in your ability to survive and protect her. If I cannot overco you, then I am not fit to be your partner in guarding her. I must be the absolute shield to your strategic mind."
Sid felt a tug in his chest. It wasn’t just a side mission; it was a deeply held conviction. He finally understood the title of the mission: "Let Guard What She Cherishes." He was part of that cherished circle now. He gave her a genuine, serious smile, letting go of the taunting tone.
"Alright, Oshan. We’ll work on it. We’ll turn you from a tank into a tactical fortress."
Oshan, however, wasn’t done. The sheer intensity in her eyes hadn’t diminished. After years spent in eternal darkness, her return to life had fueled a ferocious desire to prove she still possessed purpose and utility.
"One more spar, Sir Sid!"
Oshan requested, her voice urgent.
"A true second round! I need to test this new awareness imdiately!"
Sid saw the fire in her— the hunger of a warrior reborn. He relented instantly.
"Yes. Absolutely."
He flashed his quick, confident grin.
"Maybe that black slimy dish actually made my body enter its finest state of pri performance."
Oshan actually chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that was genuinely amused.
"You are always the funny man, Sir Sid. That is good for the Lady."
Sid stepped back into his fighting stance.
"Hold on, Oshan. Before we begin this final round, let’s raise the stakes. If I win this ti, I demand a change in address."
Oshan tilted her head, confused.
"A change in address? To where?"
"No, not the cabin," Sid clarified. "A change in what you call . I don’t like getting called ’Sir.’ It feels... entitled."
He held his gaze steady, testing her loyalty.
"If I beat you again, I want you to call Master."
Oshan agreed instantly, without blinking.
"Yes. If you prove yourself the superior strategist again, I shall call you Master. That is an appropriate title for a protector of the Lady."
Sid quietly groaned internally. The word Master. It was the first title he had tried to claim from Evelise, which had earned him a stinging slap and a barrage of insults— stupid, weirdo, dumb, idiot, and his personal favorite, necrophilia... echoing the trolls from his old streaming days. Now, Oshan accepted it as easily as breathing.
"Alright, Master it is, then."
Sid said, shedding the last of his humor and dropping into a defensive crouch.
"Show what you learned in the last five minutes, Oshan!"
Oshan exploded forward, but this ti she was different. She didn’t lead with a predictable jab. She feinted a body attack, then imdiately pivoted and threw a handful of dry leaves and dust from the ground into Sid’s face— a raw, environntal exploitation he hadn’t taught her yet.
Sid swore, instinctively rearing back and blinking to clear his vision.
"Smart! She’s learning too fast!"
Oshan pressed her advantage, throwing a powerful shoulder check aid to drive him backward into the clothesline. Sid used the clothesline as leverage, pushing off it to dodge the check, narrowly avoiding a collision.
He fought purely defensively, parrying her strikes. He saw her attempting more complex maneuvers— low sweeps, quick shifts of weight, and attempts to cut off his escape routes. She was definitely thinking, but her strategy was all defense and containnt. She wasn’t built for a crushing offense; she was built to trap and protect.
Sid waited for the mont when her massive fra would overcommit to a defensive block. It ca when he faked a wild, overhead punch. She brought both arms up into a solid X-block, perfectly shielding herself.
But the overhead punch was too slow. As her block stabilized, Sid retracted his arm and slipped sideways, using his injured knee as a pivot point for a sudden, short-range hip bump that drove his weight against her exposed flank.
The move was awkward and ssy, but it used the cabin setting to perfection. The weight imbalance was just enough. Oshan’s fortress stance faltered, and she stumbled two steps to the side, breaking her perfect defensive integrity.
Sid drove his shoulder into her chest, pushing her cleanly across the invisible boundary line they had established. Clean hit.
Oshan stood still outside the boundary, her breathing heavier now. She dropped her arms, her head bowed in quiet acceptance.
"I am defeated again, Master."
Oshan said, using the title without inflection, but with absolute sincerity.
Sid limped forward, feeling the strain in his knee but ignoring it.
"You lost, Oshan, but you proved my point perfectly. You are not built to attack; you are built to protect. You waited for to make the mistake, and when you attacked, it was always to push away or neutralize my montum. You are the perfect shield, Oshan. The right guard for Evelise."
Oshan slowly looked up, her oceanic eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"I do not understand. Why do you say this comforts ?"
Sid walked closer, his voice softening with empathy.
"Because your strength is your resolve and your heart. You were never ant to be a killing machine, but an immovable defense. You have a soft heart but a hard resolve. That is exactly why Evelise kept you close, even in death."
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