Chương 80: 79 - Skill Merges

Alexandra lay on the roof of the academy, face turned up to a rare patch of sun, letting the slow pull of photosynthesis work against her malediction. Her eyes were closed as she kept all her attention centered on her mana core. Threads were slowly streaming outward, as they always did. The morning's enchantment lesson was still fresh in her head, and she tried applying what she learned to her core. She failed to distinguish ambient mana. Either none existed inside her core, or it was already mixed with her own.

A thread moved every few breaths, brushed her skin, and withdrew. She was certain that it was the malediction acting, but she still couldn't put her finger on the source. At least, the malediction wasn't growing too fast. It had only been a few days. She wasn't feeling a difference yet. Her core pulsed. She frowned. That wasn't it either.

"What are you doing?" Alexandra's eyes snapped open. Sera was standing above her, dressed in her blue robes. She raised her hand to block out the sun.

"Training." Sera looked at her.

"I see."

"Where were you? I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me." The Keeper shook her head.

"I was visiting family in Kator. I got a few days off after my mission."

"Oh." Alexandra sat up.

"I didn't know you had a family."

"Most people do." Alexandra's eyes drifted to the tower, then the city below. Sera coughed.

"Well, speaking of training."

"Not another class… I thought I only had Enchantment today."

"Not a class." Sera raised her hands.

"Not a class. Rather, an opportunity. The Iron Library mostly deals in magic, but that doesn't mean we don't have a few weapon masters. I've asked my old tutor, and he's willing to teach you."

"Sounds like a class to me."

"Private lessons from an Emerald rank is something only noble kids can afford at Iron. I wouldn't call it a class." Alexandra sighed.

"I guess I can't really decline. Did Raymond put you up to this?"

"In fact, he very much did not," Sera said.

"Though I guess he allows it, since he didn't stop me."

"Sorry. That came out wrong." They climbed down from the roof. The afternoon had softened, the sun dropping behind the east wing, long shadows stretching across the first courtyard. The Keeper's section was on the far side of the library. Sera walked at an easy pace through a series of courtyards and corridors, hands loose at her sides, and Alexandra fell in beside her.

"Are you feeling better?" Sera asked.

"Since Esmera." Alexandra kept her eyes on the path ahead.

"I'm fine. I try not to think about it too much."

"You should," Sera said.

"Think about it, I mean. You witnessed the destruction of a city. I'm not saying that to hurt you, but it will haunt you."

"I know. But in this world… It feels like it won't be the last time." Sera paused.

"I know this isn't the best first impression. On a global scale, it's very rare for things to go that far." They passed under an archway into the Keeper half of the Iron Library. The stone here was older, darker. Some iron fixtures along the walls had rusted. Two blue-robed Keepers crossed ahead of them without a word to Sera. Their gaze lingered on Alexandra.

"He's strict," Sera said.

"Kashin. My tutor. I'm telling you now so it doesn't catch you off guard."

"Strict how?"

"He won't repeat himself. If he gives an instruction and you miss it, you miss it." Alexandra turned that over.

"And you thought this was a good match for me."

"I thought it would be good for you," Sera said.

"He's very good at what he does." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The courtyard sat at the end of a dead corridor, behind an old, unremarkable wooden door. No windows overlooked it. The walls were high and close, the stone worn smooth. The ground was packed earth. Three weapon racks lined the far wall, each one full. Swords of varying length, spears racked in pairs, a row of short blades, and a halberd.

A practice dummy stood at the center of the yard, its stuffing replaced so many times that patches of mismatched fabric ran the length of its torso. A man stood near the racks with his back to them. He turned when the door opened. Green robes, plain. Short, bald, clean-shaven. He didn't look a day older than Alexandra, though she could tell he was. He looked at her first, then at Sera.

"You can go," he said. Sera didn't move immediately.

"This is—""I know who she is." No change in his voice.

"You can go." Sera glanced back at Alexandra and turned back through the door. It closed behind her. The man studied Alexandra for a moment. His eyes moved from her feet up, and stopped at her face.

"Weapon?"

"Erm, I don't have it with me," Alexandra said.

"Which weapon do you use?"

"A sickle." Kashin paused.

"A sickle?"

"I made do with what was available. I also tried an axe for a little bit." Kashin turned to the weapon rack and grabbed a sword. Handed it to her.

"We'll start with the sword." The sword was heavier than the sickle, her balance entirely wrong. She adjusted. He watched without comment from a few paces away. Then he stepped forward and swung at her shoulder with an open hand. She was already turning. His hand passed close to her ear. He stepped back and looked at her.

"Combat Sense," he said. She nodded.

"I assume you have a skill for the sickle?"

"Sickle Mastery. Maxed out." He stared at her without blinking, a slight smile on his face.

"Great. This is great."

"Mind explaining?" Alexandra asked.

"Have you heard of skill merges?" She shook her head.

"It's what it claims to be. Take two or more skills and merge them together to make a better skill," Kashin said, grabbing a sword for himself.

"Another way to break through the bottleneck of skill ranks. Combat Sense is a great skill to use as a basis to integrate weapon skills into." Alexandra raised an eyebrow.

"So I should pull Sickle Mastery into Combat Sense?"

"Yes, but it would be a waste to limit yourself to Sickle Mastery. Common weapon skills are broad and unspecialized. Which means they're very compatible with each other. I don't know how you managed to get combat sense so early, but this is the perfect scenario. We'll merge as many skills into it as there are weapons here." He looked at the rack. Put a hand on his chin.

"No, I'll gather more weapons from the armory. Maybe order some from the city." Kashin turned to her.

"I hope you're ready to put in the work."

"I am. But I should tell you that I have limited control over which skill I can acquire."

"Same as everyone else. But I'm sure a divine class like yours can pull its weight. Are you ready?" She nodded.

"Then let's get started." He started with stance. She copied him. He corrected her elbow, then her foot with a touch on each. No word. Then he came at her. She caught the first strike. Barely. The sword was wrong in her hand, grip too tight, and the impact ran up her wrist and into her shoulder. He reset without acknowledging it and came from the same angle again. The flat of his blade slid on hers and clipped her shoulder. He stepped back. She waited for the correction. It didn't come. She thought.

He'd corrected her elbow—extended too far. The slide had happened because she'd done it again and opened her guard. She brought the elbow in.

"Footwork," he said. She looked at his feet and adjusted hers. He swept her rear leg. She went down on one knee. The packed earth was cold through her robes. He waited. She got up. He swept her leg again. And again. Until she stopped falling. Every time she felt that she was improving, Kashin pushed her further. When he stopped, she was breathing hard. He took the weapon from her and set it on the rack.

"Same time tomorrow." Alexandra sat in the courtyard for a few minutes before leaving. She could barely stand, let alone walk back to the refectory without all her muscles crying for help. Combat Sense 7 -> 8 She ate dinner with Willow, bathed, and spent part of the night in the library catching up on some reading her friend had recommended. The next morning, she met up with Willow again at the refectory. Neither of them had classes today.

As Alexandra filled up her tray with two dozen meat skewers, she spotted Zamar eyeing her from his table. She ignored him.

"What's his problem?" Willow asked, setting her tray on their table. Alexandra sat down.

"He's jealous."

"Of you? Why?" She opened her mouth. Shit, I still haven't told her. She looked around at the packed refectory. It wasn't a good time.

"Nothing important," she said. As she ate, Alexandra summoned her journal to check her daily quest. Quest Journal Daily Reset: 06: 00 | Streak: 26 Days | 2% All Stats Next Milestone: 50 Days Daily Quests: Hunt a Thunder Viper (0/1) Alexandra frowned.

"Bad roll?" Willow asked.

"Potentially. A hunt." The skill could be what she needed, but…

"Ever heard of Thunder Vipers?" Willow closed her eyes.

"Don't tell me you need to hunt one of the deadliest predators of Kator."

"I mean, if you're talking about Thunder Vipers, I have bad news." Willow opened her eyes.

"Well, you're not going alone."