“AAAAAHHHHH!!”
CRACK!
THWACK!
“OWWWE!”
My eyes snapped open at the commotion.
Taking a few moments to remember where I even am as I slowly lift my head up from where it was laying.
My right cheek a bit sore from it pressing into the warm ground for an extended period.
I vaguely remember laying in the grass under the pasture fence.
Guess I passed out.
Blinking away the blurriness in my eyes before they finally adjust to peer at the scene outside of the pastures perimeter.
Making out the shape of my brother Leone in his leather training armor rolling in the grass and clutching his bum with both hands.
Groaning and whining.
His wood training sword settled nearby.
Ah.
Now I remember.
He invited me along to watch him train with Mr.
Thorpe.
As if on que, a tall older gentleman walked into view towards Leone.
Dark brown hair left slightly long and slicked back over his head.
Face aged over with deep wrinkles.
A pair of striking green eyes.
Mostly clean shaven save for a well maintained bush of a mustache speckled with gray hairs.
Wearing a simple brown tunic and trousers.
The old man tapped his wood quarterstaff against his own shoulder.
His expression seeming quite unimpressed.
Slightly disappointed.
“Leo…” The old man began with a sigh while my brother continued to groan through gritted teeth about his aching bum.
“I know having your first skill is exciting and all.
But now that you have it it feels like you’ve tossed all the training we did the past year out of the damn window…”
Oh I see.
I was wondering what had even happened during that exchange but that pretty much painted a decent picture.
Leone unlocked his first class skill a few weeks ago and has been using it like crazy.
It’s pretty cool too.
He told me it’s called [Flash Strike].
Basically shoots him forward super fast when he swings his sword.
When he showed me I couldn’t even see him move!
But the more I watched him use it during his practices the more it was obvious he couldn’t control it that well.
Even slammed himself into a tree and sprained his arm.
Mama scolded him for days but he healed pretty fast.
Leone lifted his head up and scowled at Mr.
Thorpe.
“It’s my skill!
I’m supposed to use it!
It makes me faster and more powerful!” The 13 year old boy finally getting up to his feet, swiping his wooden sword up from the grass in frustration.
His messy black hair tied into a loose bun behind his head.
Thorpe furrowed his brows at the boy.
“Yes you are meant to use it.
And it is indeed very powerful.
But only AT THE RIGHT TIME!” Barking back with that gravely tone.
“The use of a skill is strategic Leo.
They are meant to COMPLIMENT your [Sword Theory] passive that is the foundation of your fighting style.
NOT REPLACE IT!”
Leone flinches and lowers his head but still looks pretty defiant which makes me purse my lips.
He has always hated being wrong.
Which is why I avoid arguing with him cause he’ll just deny everything.
The teenager finally looks up at the old man and comments back.
“But it works on the Jackelopes…and I killed that Horned Wolf the same way and you didn’t say anything then!”
Mr.
Thorpe sighs.
“And I should have but I was preoccupied with making sure they didn’t make off with any of the calves.” Scratching at the bit of stubble on his chin.
“But those are monsters Leo.
Not even smart ones…basically animals.
What I am trying to teach you is how to fight things that are just as smart as you are.
That means monsters AND people.”
Leo’s face scrunches up, still looking away from Mr.
Thorpe.
The old man waiting to hear some response back before shaking his head and looking off over to me still under the fence.
The old guard flashing me a grin.
“Evenin sleepy head.
Glad you could join us…maybe you can get some sense into your kins thick skull here yeah?”
I raise my head up higher, my eyes blinking in a bit of surprise that I would be asked that.
It’s not like this is my expertise at all.
I mean what am I supposed to say?
“Uh…what…would I even be able to say that would help?” I asked pretty apprehensively, noticing Leone’s attention having been drawn towards me as well.
That incredulous expression on his face making me kind of agitated.
Matching his expression Leone immediately scoffed at Mr.
Thorpe.
“She doesn’t know anything about this stuff.
She isn’t going to be of any help.”
The old man waves his hand dismissively at Leo as he keeps his attention on me.
“You’ve always been sharp as a razor Liore.
Anything you notice with how your brother fights with his shiny new [Skill]?”
Mr.
Thorpe is definitely trying to egg Leo on judging by the smirk on his face and the teenager in questions comically curved frown.
But I’d be lying if I said I am not completely happy to play along.
Raising myself up to my feet and patting all the grass and dirt off of my simple dark blue dress.
The skirt of which is already pretty worn and frayed a bit on the edges near my ankles.
Several spots have been torn and stitched back together.
Looking back up and over to the two as I twiddle my fingers together.
Painfully aware of my brothers agitation.
“Uh…well.
It’s a cool [Skill].
Very helpful in…cutting things quickly?” I ask sheepishly to the old man who continues smiling and nods a long.
“That is certainly true.
Anything else you notice that might be an issue with your brothers current strategy?”
My lips form a thin line as I contemplate a little on saying what I am actually thinking.
“Well…I mean…” Deliberately keeping from meeting Leo’s rueful gaze.
“He does tend to…go too far forward…and not turn back around fast enough.
Especially when he misses.”
I clear my throat a little bit before adding.
“…and sometimes he looks confused after…or trips…”
Leo’s brown skin on his cheeks turn a darker shade as his face scrunches up even more.
Mr.
Thorpe chuckling.
“You are exactly right Liore.
He isn’t fast enough to correct himself when he misses…misjudges how far he moves after and disorients himself…or trips and smashes into things leaving him vulnerable.”
Leone finally grits his teeth and grunts in frustrations.
“Okay!
I get it!
I am done!” Before he starts storming off down the hill towards the village.
Leaping over the fence near to me and bolting his way through the pasture.
Mr.
Thorpe and I watch him go for a good minute before he walks up to the fence where I am standing.
I turn to look up at him with a little bit of concern eating at me.
The old man smiles and just shakes his head.
“Don’t worry about him.
You didn’t do anything wrong.
I was the one who put you on the spot there.”
My face tenses up a little but I nod.
“Why did you even have me do that?
Like he said, I don’t know about any of that sword or fighting stuff.
I have no room to say anything.”
The old man leans over the fence, resting his elbows on the top plank.
“Don’t sell yourself short Liore.
Just because you don’t have a [Passive] for it doesn’t mean you can’t notice simple mistakes like that.
You are much smarter than you give yourself credit for.”
My cheeks get a bit hot and I can’t help but smile.
Enjoying the compliment a lot as I don’t often just get those.
“Thank you Mr.
Thorpe.
I guess I’m glad I could…help?
But I don’t know if Leo will accept any of it.”
He chuckles and smirks at me again.
“Oh he will.
He may not say it aloud but he trusts you a lot more than anyone else.”
My brows furrow reflexively at that.
“If you say so.” Leone certainly doesn’t treat me badly but he’s always been pretty arrogant ever since he turned 10 and got his first level.
It didn’t take long after that when Mama enlisted Mr.
Thorpe to start training him.
The old man is the highest level person in town at level 8.
He’s the head of the village guard and a former mercenary.
So there was no one more perfect.
He has done a great job teaching Leo common sense but my brother is still as arrogant as ever.
A lot harder to kick that part it seems.
Mr.
Thorpe uses his quarterstaff to stretch out his arms and back a bit before taking a look up at the setting sun.
“Well.
We should get back.
I’m sure your mother has dinner waiting for you.
And I need to do some final rounds.”
He gives me a pat on the back before he steps over the fence and starts his way through the pasture towards the village.
Looking over his shoulder at me as he goes.
“Don’t stay out too long.
We are still on the lookout for that pack of Horned Wolves.”
I nod in response.
“Yes sir.
I’ll be right behind you.” Spending a minute or so watching him get further away before looking up at the setting sun myself.
Nearing the horizon as it baths the dense forests around the area in waning light.
The hill we are on is the highest point in the village just at the edge of our cattle pasture.
But there are other higher hills in the area outside of our land.
The village being in a pretty mountainous area on the southwest side of the Camden region, which is the center of the Grand Continent.
Pretty far from a lot of other settlements.
I’ve always felt even more secluded out here.
I return my attention back towards the village down the hill.
Leaning myself over and resting my chin on the fence.
The skirt of my dress billowing a bit in the wind.
The village is pretty small compared to the others around here.
Still relatively new.
A decently sized wooden palisade wall rounds most of it with a few simple watchtowers spread throughout to help keep an eye on the fields outside.
There are only about 250 or so people living in it right now.
And that includes their families and mine.
About 50 cottages of varying sizes.
A couple dozen other wooden structures for shops and store houses.
A small river cuts through the center with two bridges on either end of the village.
It’s not terrible.
It’s rather cozy in fact.
But it’s certainly not where I would want to spend my entire life.
But I don’t really have much of a choice.
My shoulders sag as I can’t help but sigh.
“…May the Blinded See”