Choosing a technique

"Lady Lira."

Hex called her and walked up to her. 

The beautiful Healer Knight looked stunning as always. She was not as beautiful as Althea, but she still looked captivating.

Her girly charm and her freely swinging shapes underneath her loose dress were enough to make a young man like Hex drool.

Lira gave him a warm smile.

"The brave young master Hex remembers a commoner like me?" She greeted him playfully, causing Hex to blush involuntarily. 

"You sure can jest, Lady. If a Healer like you is considered a commoner then the majority of the people are less than worms," Hex replied to her teasing with a shrug.

"You are so sweet. Words such as those can make a lady feel very special," she said with a laugh. In the end, she even looked deep into his eyes.

Cough.

Hex coughed awkwardly, feeling his body become warmer. It had very little to do with his exercise in the morning. 

But Hex didn't lose his mind. He recalled quickly why he had greeted her.

"How is Gorge doing?" He asked, looking away from Lira and pointing at the door behind her.

On Hex's request Gorge was given a room in the castle, just beside the room Alice was resting in. 

Usually, a commoner from the slum would have been handed over to the Temple but Wallen agreed to Hex's request to keep Gorge in the castle.

Hex didn't notice the cold gleam passing through Lira's eyes when he looked away. But she quickly became her usual warm self.

"He is doing well…all things considered. But I don't know when he will regain consciousness." She almost sounded sad by the end of her sentence.

Hex sighed. "Thank you, Lady Lira. As long as he lives I think there is hope."

Lira gave him a curious look. "I heard you found him in a near unconscious state. But did he say anything or give any hints? Anything at all?"

Hex, still worried about the young kid he had known for years, didn't notice the inquisitive tone in her voice.

"No. Nothing at all." He said absentmindedly. Lira looked relieved. 

'I should at least let his parents know about him and assure them,' Hex's mind was somewhere else. He decided to pay a visit to the slums later that day.

When he looked up, he saw Lira walking towards Alice's room. 

'Well, I hope she recovers too.' Hex felt pity for the girl but he didn't go to take a look. He didn't want to bother the Healer when she was doing her work.

Instead, he went to find the butler.

…

"This is the list of techniques up to the Knight grade available in the study."

Wallen handed a thin booklet over to Hex. His movement remained as stiff as always. 

'Even the baron shows more emotion than this guy,' Hex rolled his eyes and opened the booklet.

The list was sectioned into types of techniques. The different sections were offense, defense, movement, auxiliary, and special.

Hex took his time to browse through the sections. Wallen told him to find him once he had decided upon the technique.

'There are so many techniques. I want to learn all of them!'

Hex knew it was wishful thinking to learn all of them but every technique in the booklet seemed great.

The offense section had his bearhanded sword technique amongst many other Knight-grade techniques. 

Hex didn't look at the Squire grade ones. Those were cheaper and easier to learn but Hex knew it would be a waste of his abilities.

'Tiger fist, Dragon fist, Bear Shield, Revolving Sword, Mountain Hammer…'

Hex drooled at the names of the techniques. Underneath each name was a brief description given.

He finally reached the section listing the movement techniques. To his dismay, there were only three Knight-grade techniques in this section.

'Earth Shatterer…Feather Drift…Flex Step…'

All the names were short but alluded to what the technique might be in essence.

Hex read the description of each technique carefully. 

"Earth Shatterer. The technique focuses on short bursts of power. With each step the ground shatters and the user is propelled forward. Great for short distances and closed environments. Requires great control and stamina. Earth elemental control can enhance the output."

'This is great for me but…isn't this already what I can do with applying the bearhanded sword control over my strength?'

Hex recalled the time he had tried to capture the archer trying to assassinate him on the first day of the first round. 

He hadn't used it a lot but reading the description of the Earth Shatterer he thought of a few ways to incorporate it in his style.

He looked at the second technique on the list.

"Feather Drift. The technique lets the user float briefly in the air. It can be combined with other techniques but its primary use is to navigate uneven terrain, scout, and gain leverage in height. Requires wind element, light build, and nimbleness."

'This sounds extremely useful but I don't know if I should prioritize this. I would rather learn this after mastering a few other movement techniques.'

It was not that Hex thought it to be a weak technique but he didn't have the wind element and he already was fairly adept at navigating uneven terrain. He didn't wish to waste time on it for now.

He hoped the third one would be a better alternative. He wished to expand his abilities beyond what he already was capable of.

"Flex Step. This technique helps the user to control his muscles and energy in tandem, moving his body as he wishes. Whether on land or in the air, the user can change the direction of his movement as he wishes. Proper mastery will enable the user to treat the sky and earth as one. Requires muscle control, energy control, and strength control. Earth and Wind elements can enhance the result beyond mastery."

The moment Hex finished reading the third technique, he fell in love with it. 

"It's like it's made for me. Even if in the future I don't have those elements, I can still keep using this technique."

Hex was certain of his choice. And it wasn't like he couldn't learn the other two techniques later on. 

"You don't have to worry about elements." 

Just then he heard a voice say from behind. The lack of emotions in the voice disclosed the person's identity.

Hex turned and bowed slightly to the golden-haired man in front of him.

"Master, what do you mean?" Hex asked curiously. Did the baron know his elemental affinity?

"You have the world stone. It's the seed capable of birthing a new world. Do you think it would limit your elements?"

Hearing the baron's reply made Hex's mouth fall open. It was hard to believe. Wasn't his heart truly defying the Heavens?

"You still have to truly appreciate what you have been given," his master said. "The world stone will unlock its mysteries as you become stronger. You don't need to worry about many things others have to fight for."

The baron's words pulled Hex out of his shock. He looked solemnly at his master and nodded. 

The baron raised his palm and with a woosh, a scroll flew towards him.

"Train this for now. Focus on mastering and fusing it with your style. Only then are you allowed another technique."

Hex caught the scroll flung toward him. When he looked up, the baron had disappeared. 

Hex put the scroll away and exited the study. He would pay the slums a visit at night. The rest of the day he would spend training his technique.