Chapter 113: Still So Much to Learn

In the small grove at night, scattered campfires from the refugee camp glowed in the distance. Voices rose and fell faintly through the trees.

Gred looked up at a moon visible between the treetops.

"Let's practice here. At least there's some moonlight. Everywhere else is pitch-black."

Jess nodded, removed his cloak, and carefully laid it aside. Wearing only a thin shirt, he felt a little chilly when the wind blew.

"Don't want to damage your new clothes from the king?" Gred asked.

Jess glanced at him. Was the dwarf making a joke, or did he mean it literally?

Did Azeroth have the famous story about the emperor's new clothes? After living in this world for nearly twenty years, Jess was beginning to mix up stories and sayings from his two lives.

"Of course I don't want to damage them." He picked up the wooden sword leaning against a tree. "Repairs cost dozens of silver. I'd go broke."

Gred grinned. "Then we'll come here every day and slowly turn you into a sword master. All the little nobodies around here will be too slow to touch you, and you won't have to worry about your clothes getting damaged. See? Sword practice has so many benefits. It even saves money."

"There'll always be someone stronger. Even if the little nobodies can't touch me, plenty of others can," Jess said. "But sword practice is definitely useful. Working on mage stuff all day is tiring enough, and then there are all the other stupid problems. Coming out to exercise with you is more relaxing."

"Same here, Jess," Gred said.

The dwarf picked up his sword. "We haven't met in a while. Let's start with a real bout and see whether you've gotten rusty."

He slowly raised the wooden sword in both hands, pointing its tip toward Jess.

His cheerful expression gradually faded. Even with a wooden weapon, the dwarf was frightening.

Those were the eyes of someone who'd killed more enemies than Jess could imagine.

Jess instinctively looked away. He rolled his shoulders and settled into a ready stance, holding his sword firmly in both hands.

"Come on," Gred said. "Attack!"

Remembering Gred's lessons, Jess kept the sword pointed at his opponent and approached little by little. Gred didn't retreat or adjust his stance. He simply stared.

Suddenly Jess raised his sword, lunged forward, and struck downward. Gred turned his wrist and easily knocked the blow aside.

The deflection didn't disrupt Jess's rhythm. He immediately reversed his sword and slashed quickly—only to discover that Gred was even faster.

The dwarf thrust forward, winding his blade around Jess's several times. He neutralized the slash and kept driving forward with his own strength, aiming straight for Jess's waist!

NovelPhoenix holds the chapter as posted by its author, while this reproduction was made without permission; reading there supports the writer.

Jess hurriedly parried while stepping back. Wooden blades clattered in a confused flurry. Gred's sword tip slid along Jess's blade and guard and struck his hand.

The whole exchange had lasted only two or three seconds.

"Ah..."

Jess grimaced, switched the sword to his other hand, and flexed his aching right hand.

In a real fight, that hand would probably be useless now. He'd thought his attacks were fast and powerful, but they barely threatened the dwarf.

Gred didn't press his advantage. He lowered his weapon, his face unchanged, and said nothing.

Jess took two steps back, trying to work out how to break through Gred's defense. But the dwarf's confident, almost contemptuous gaze made it hard to think about tactics.

To tell the truth, his bloody battle with the naga had given Jess a lot more confidence in close combat. He wasn't even afraid of thugs like Erlan anymore.

Yet Gred's stare was stripping away much of the confidence he'd gained.

Strangest of all, the dwarf said nothing. He stood there silent and watchful, looking less and less like the Gred who loved drinking and eating meat, and more like a Wildhammer dwarf Jess had never met.

Not just Gred, but a true elite warrior of Aerie Peak. A killing machine who'd carved through the battle lines of the Amani. An airborne terror riding a gryphon through the pine forests of the Hinterlands, feared by trolls and orcs alike.

He had only lost one eye.

Jess tried to push these distracting thoughts away and focus on the sword.

*Stay calm. Be patient. Concentrate.*

He repeated the instructions to himself, adjusting his sword point for another attack.

He advanced step by step. When he was almost within range, he tightened his muscles and prepared to thrust. This time he'd give Gred no chance to knock his blade aside. The dwarf would have to retreat, and Jess would follow with a stab at his arm.

But Gred suddenly roared without warning.

Jess's rhythm broke at once. His thrust lost both speed and power, and his footwork fell apart. Gred easily sidestepped the messy attack and kicked Jess in the waist, sending him sprawling.

Gred burst out laughing.

"Get up. Try again."

Jess spat dirt and grass out of his mouth, stretched his back, and stood facing Gred once more.

Was that some kind of Demoralizing Shout?

As he got up, though, he'd thought of another tactic.

He'd cast Light to blind Gred's remaining eye while attacking, then charge in. Let's see whether the dwarf expected that.

Jess rushed forward with a short step, lifting his sword in one hand while he was still some distance away. Gred looked at the sword tip, then at Jess's arm. His expression shifted slightly.

"Liyusa!"

Jess spread his left palm and released a flash of light. But in the dark night, the light illuminated not only Gred—it hit Jess's own eyes too.

His vision turned white. He guessed where Gred was standing and brought his sword down hard, but struck nothing.

The Light spell faded. A powerful shove from behind sent Jess flying forward. He landed in the dirt and slid along the ground.

Before he could even rise, his waist and backside began to ache.

"Trying those little tricks on me, eh?" Gred smiled. "But seriously, you've improved a lot, Jess. We've only been practicing for a month, maybe a month and a half at most. I think you're better than most of the people I've seen swinging swords in Stormwind. Your attacks really do threaten me now. I have to take them seriously. I can't relax the way I did at first."

"So don't be discouraged." He pulled Jess to his feet. "You're fighting an expert, after all!"

Jess wiped his mouth.

"How did you know I was about to use magic?"

Gred slapped his belly and laughed. "Ha! Compared with those elven mages and trolls, you might as well have 'I'm about to cast a spell' written across your forehead. Did you think I was joking in Redridge when I told you I had plenty of experience fighting mages?"

"Still, if you'd used Fear on me, I might not have had a good answer, Jess Seso. But we're using practice swords, so let's not use magic that's too destructive. We're here to improve our skills, not kill each other. Right?"

"I wasn't planning to use it."

Jess brushed dry grass from his clothes. He thought of the naga he'd killed on the Westfall coast, and how he'd once wished Gred had been there to see it.

Now, he realized Gred had probably killed more monsters stronger than that little sea witch than Jess could count. If the dwarf had been on the beach, he might have smashed her skull before she finished her first Curse of Weakness.

Jess still had a very long way to go with his swordsmanship.