CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 24

282 ac

I don't understand how I lost to him. I m %100 sure he was going to do a horizontal slash to the right side. How did it turn into a horizontal slash to the left side? I can't understand.

"What, are you curious how a right-side slash turns into left side one?"

It is like he read my mind." Yes, how did you do it."

"It is called a deep feint. Usually, feints are done while acting like you're going to go for a strike, and you start the motion but stop it the next second. This kind of feint you can read, and you can read almost all of the squire's moves too, but the kind of feint I just used, the kind that changes the center of the movement, you have never seen it. So you are not able to fully understand it."

So it has been three years since I started training with my 5x. It would be like training for 15 years. I thought I was becoming a sword master but was too arrogant. There are still many things I need to learn.

"There is something I m curious too. What was the thing you threw to the ground?"

"I call it smoke bomb."

"What is that?"

"I don't want to tell you what it is made of."

"Why?"

"It is my invention. Why should I give it for free?"

It is true I invented the smoke bomb here, but the thing I used was not the smoke bomb. The bomb wouldn't even be able to produce half the smoke I created. I used a first-level spell called Sambrar ( fog cloud ), which created thick fog. The spells' cast range was long; I could cast it as far as 40 meters ( 130 ft ), and its effect range was 6 meters ( 20 ft ).

It was a really useful spell, but I never needed to train on it. After I reached 45 mana, suddenly I just knew how to cast it, and I got a few more like it: Keligon Anogrosa ( stop bleeding ) is minor healing magic that cauterizes a wound, but it does not heal damaged tissue so it won't fix big wounds and even if it fixes a wound it will leave a big nasty scar.

Inretio (entangle) is a binding spell then can only be used in places with plants because it uses the plant to bind people for example if I have only weeds I can at best cause them to trip up but if I have big trees around I can even bind their whole body with roots, Letagon (snare) is similar to inretio, but it does not bind with plant.

Uses pure magic to bind enemies because inretio has limitation in its use it needs five mana to bind feet and ten mana for whole body bind, but letagon need ten mana for feet binding and 20 mana for full body bind. When Rodrik started talking, I came out of my deep thoughts.

"It could be really useful in a fight."

"I know it is useful, Sir Rodrik. That is why I used it."

"Hahah, you cheeky brat, at least now you know even these fancy things can't save you if you fare against a competent warrior. As I promised, I m going to go and talk with the lord about your passes."

He was going toward the keep why mumbling and laughing by himself. If Lord Stark accepts it, I can, at last, leave the castle and explore around the castle and go hunting. I want to see if I can dominate bigger wild animals besides birds. Just as I was ready to leave the training grounds, the Stark children came and saw me. There was Robb, Jon, Sansa, and little Arya. Now Arya is three years old. She would always follow around Robb and Jon.

If Sansa is the definition of an obedient and docile child for Lady Catelyn, Arya is the definition of a highborn beast. She hates everything to do with being a lady. If you make her angry, she will bite, claw, or climb over you. Most of the time, she will run away from the septa and come to the training ground and watch people spar if she sees one person with a sword, her eyes would sparkle.

I started playing with Robb and Jon. We would usually play tag or spar with our wooden swords, but we started using iron training swords last week. Like always, Sansa sits somewhere and watches us play, and Arya picks up a branch and tries to copy our movement.

With a surprised look, Robb asks, " Did you earn a gate pass? "

" Not yet, but Ser Rodrik promised to ask Lord Stark and recommend that I get a gate pass. "

" Cool, I would really like to have a gate pass too. "

"Why didn't the Lord promise he would take you guys hunting the next moon?"

"Yes, but it isn't like we can get out of the castle whenever we want to, like you would be able to if you get your gate pass."

" Sometimes I really envy your life. "

"Yee, being a commoner orphan is really a blast. Who wouldn't envy my life?"

With an embarrassed look on his face, Robb got flustered and said, " I m sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You know I didn't mean that, I just meant you are free to choose what you want, you don't have to do anything if you don't want to. "

"No, Robb, everyone in life has to do things they don't want to. It is called living. You might think your life sucks because you have to learn a lot of things and can't do the things you want, but there are far worse things than having to listen to Maester Luwin's lectures for a few hours a day. Do you think the salt wives in iron island want to be there? Do you think people in Essos want to live as slaves? You really shouldn't say things like that."

Embarrassed, Robb looks at the ground and says,

"You are right about that. I m sorry." I really like this about Robb. He always accepts it if he is mistaken and learns from it.