Ch-8

"And..."

Edric leaned against the railing at the back of the brothel, a wooden cup of ale in hand, staring out into the shining light of the morning. His shirt hung loosely on his broad shoulders, the weariness of the road finally catching up to him.

"What does the lord want from us?" I asked, standing beside him.

Edric chuckled, glancing at me with a look of amusement. "From us?" he repeated, shaking his head. "The lord doesn't want anything from you. He needs me to patrol the roads leading into the city, every day," he explained, taking another sip from his cup.

"Edric—" I began, but he cut me off before I could finish.

"Look, kid, I know you've got skill, but you're still too young to take a blow from a grown man. That's why you're staying in the city."

I clenched my jaw, wiping the sweat from my brow. It wasn't the first time I'd heard this, but it still frustrated me. "Fine, but we should find somewhere else to stay. Even if we don't use the 'other services,' this place is twice as expensive as any normal inn. How long does the lord need you?"

Edric shrugged and leaned back against the railing, staring up at the morning sky. "Could be a while. The war's still raging, and the lord didn't give me a timeline. One silver a day for patrolling, plus a bonus of one gold if I bring back the head of a bandit." He grinned. "Don't worry, we'll afford this place just fine."

"One gold per head?" I raised an eyebrow. "The bandits must be giving him a real headache."

"Right you are," Edric replied, leaning forward with a mischievous glint in his eye. "If he could buy off every bandit head in the region, he'd probably have shelled out a thousand gold by now."

With that, he stood up, peeling off his trousers and walking toward the large bucket of water sitting by the deck. He dipped a smaller bucket into it and poured the freezing water over his head without so much as a shiver. "So," he called back, still dripping, "what are you going to do?"

I stood up and grabbed a wooden sword, still thinking about my training. "Lately, I've asked you to hit harder when we spar."

"Yeah," Edric said, pulling on his trousers again. "Oddly enough, it doesn't seem to phase you. You're doing something, but I can't quite figure it out."

"I'm working on a new technique," I said, gripping the hilt of the wooden sword. "It's less about blocking the blows directly and more about redirecting their force. But it's not quite finished yet."

Edric's eyes narrowed with curiosity. "Interesting. You'll have to teach it to me when it's ready."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You know, when I first met you, I was nothing but a street rat stealing scraps. Now I'm teaching you swordplay. Guess you're finally getting old."

Edric smirked theatrically. "Maybe I am," he said. "But I'll see you tonight." With that, he turned and headed back inside the brothel, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I had a lot to think about. This new technique—redirecting the force of an attack instead of absorbing it—reminded me of something from my past life. It wasn't fully formed yet, but the potential was there. My body felt like it was made for combat, and my mind seemed to instinctively grasp the intricacies of the movements. I just needed time to piece it all together.

Gripping the wooden sword, I closed my eyes and began to work through the motions, imagining an opponent in front of me. I parried, redirected, countered, lost in the rhythm of the practice. Time slipped away, and I had no idea how long I'd been at it when a sharp sound broke my concentration—a bird's cry.

Lowering the sword, I followed the noise until I found its source. A young eagle, its wing clearly injured, was huddled in the grass near the deck. I crouched down beside it, surprised at how calm it was. Most wild creatures would flee at the sight of a human, but this one seemed different, almost... trusting.

Carefully, I picked up the eagle and carried it back to the deck. Its large eyes watched me closely, and I felt a strange connection with the creature. I wasn't sure why, but I wanted to help it. First, though, I needed to clean myself up.

I stripped off my sweat-soaked clothes and doused myself with cold water from the bucket, just as Edric had. The chill bit into my skin, but it was refreshing after all the training. Once I was clean, I grabbed the eagle and headed inside, not caring much that I was walking through the brothel halls half-naked. Living with Edric had cured me of any modesty long ago.

In my room, I treated the eagle's wing with the supplies I carried, wrapping it carefully in a strip of cloth. The bird didn't struggle at all, as though it trusted me completely. After finishing the bandage, I lay down on my bed, exhausted from the day's work.

Before I knew it, my eyes closed, and sleep overtook me.