The Witch's Relay

Chapter 5: Magic Fencing

A month has passed since my first kill. And at the moment I am thoroughly annoyed.

By now I thought Master would have taught me at least a little bit of magic, so when she came knocking on the woodshed this morning and told me to meet her for training I got excited.

Don't get me wrong, Master has taught me a great deal about the theoretical side of magic, for example, two weeks ago I was taught about incantations and how they work.

"An incantation, unlike what it sounds like, is not actually asking the water, fire, or whatever element for their power." The Master's voice rings in my head. "Instead" She continued "Incantations serve as a means to better concentrate, and in your mind clarify which spell you mean to cast. With enough training you will be able to cast without an incantation, but it is way more difficult and the chance for the spell to backfire is significantly higher."

I had also learned that a spell backfiring happens when you fail to concentrate, and the spell blows up in your face.

But right now..

Now Master is standing before me with a sword in hand. Not like a wooden training sword. No, cold, hard, steel.

In contrast to my Master's katana I was given a basic straight blade with no decorations or special designs.

"Uhm.." I look at her uncertainty. "Swords aren't really my thing.. Normally I use a long knife as my weapon of choice."

"Then you need to change that. When fighting both humans and monsters, the sword is superior in almost every way. Besides, do you prefer the knife because you can't actually afford a sword or because you don't have the proper training?"

"I-" Immediately I am cut off.

"Here I come!" She rushes at me with her katana raised, the red steel flashing almost like a flame.

"Wait!-" before I have time to even react the blade is stopped at my throat. But instead of getting sliced I feel my Master's palm strike my right cheek. I stagger backwards.

"No time for hesitation, you must defend yourself. And always keep your sword raised." She backs off and places her legs firmly apart, ready for another go.

"Right." I realize that there is no way out of this. Having no clue about the first thing when it comes to fencing I try to take a stance mimicking my Master, my sword raised straight up and slightly tilted forward, with both hands on the hilt.

I take note that instead of her usual dress and hat, Heather is wearing a loose black shirt and pants. Keeping her hair in place is a black braided leather headband with some silver details, and at her waist is her normal belt with a golden buckle.

She seems to like shiny things.

"Good. Always pay close attention to your opponent, making sure to take in every minor detail." This time when she rushes forward I am just able to react and block her strike, a left slash this time.

However the followup ends just like the last round with her blade right at my throat.

"Here" she tosses me a golden arm-ring that with inspection has a large ruby fastened in the center with a circle of smaller stones surrounding it.

"What's this?" I ask confused as I catch it.

"As you are now you have now chance of defending yourself from my second attack. And that is just boring. This arm-ring is enchanted in such a way to lower your reaction time by half, so just for today I will allow you to use it. although in general using it during training will slow down you true development." She looks at the item in my hand with pride. "I just want you to get a taste for what you soon will be able to do without any aid."

I stared at the item in my hand wide-eyed.

"This item is worth a fortune.. I thought magic items were just a myth? How did you get it?"

She winked at me with a smile.

"Enchantment magic just so happens to be my specialty. I created this."

She- HEH?! Items like this are so rare that it is only rumored to exist within the king's own personal treasury, and my Master MADE it?!

Not for the first time I wonder, who the heck is my Master?

Sighing I put the ring on my arm and push it up as far as it can go. It is best to just go with the flow and not question.

"Also, your stance is pretty ok for a beginner, but you need to bend you knees a little more in order to put more strength into your hits, and bring your elbows in a little more. Now brace yourself!"

This time I am able to see her movements clearly, and I block the hit from above.

My left side. Clash.

My right side. Clash.

Stab straight from the front. Too slow.

I let my sword drop to my side as Master's blade is once again pointed towards my throat. My breathing is heavy and I suddenly feel a sharp pain from nearly tearing up my muscles. The adrenaline and magic item made my body forget its limits, and begin injuring myself.

"Lesser heal!" A light forms at the tip of my Master's sword and with a slight flick flies into my arms relieving me from the pain.

"It can be dangerous to swing too hard before your body is strong enough. But tell me.. did it not feel amazing?"

"It did.." being able to keep up, it sets a fire ablaze in your heart, and for just a moment, you, your sword, and your opponent is the only thing that matters.

"I want you to keep the arm-ring, it is a gift to wear while you are in the forest, so that you can protect yourself easier from getting surprised, but when you are home or training You will take it off and keep it in your pocket, and also, no losing it. Is that clear?"

"Yes. Crystal clear." I put my hand where I am wearing the item.

"Also, from now on you will do 100 kendo swings every morning, and evening before bed. Also after every week I want you to add 25 to that number. You will start now."

At that, she walks past me towards home.

Yes, home. By now, this forest is my home.

I grunt and begin the counting.

The sword makes a whooshing sound as it cuts through the air.

One..

Two..

Three..