Chapter 47

A week passed since their encounter with the Fallen Beast within their encampment. Dane sat by the fire inside a hollow chamber situated underground. Flynn and Jeanne sparred nearby.

Dane's soul had healed. In quantifiable terms, it was healed to half of its volume. When he had reached 'twenty percent,' he could transform again, but it was not as fast. As he healed further and further, it sped up until finally, he was capable of transforming instantly after being healed to 'fifty percent.'

Once again, Dane was forced to lament how terrible his Attribute, [Cursed Soul], was. His second Flaw, which dealt him soul damage, was nothing short of a death sentence. Though people usually didn't receive wounds that could separate them from their limbs and wreck their insides, Dane was a Sleeper in a Death Zone. Although his body could heal from them, his soul could not, resulting in him losing his ability to transform.

All he could do was hope that he wasn't attacked if he was in a state where his soul was so terribly mauled. Sighing, Dane used the Basket Blade to draw on the sand. It wasn't aesthetically appealing, but it was cheap entertainment, and he had already gotten tired of seeing Flynn being decimated by Jeanne.

However, Flynn was steadily growing sharper at using a sword and spear, and it took longer and longer for Jeanne to defeat him. Nonetheless, he had a saturated core. She would probably best him easily if she also had a saturated core. But by the time she had a filled core, Dane suspected that Flynn would be more skilled in using weapons and his Ability.

Both had great potential and if they escaped the Death Zone, Dane would offer that they stayed a cohort. If possible, he would even extend an invitation to join his Clan.

Clang!

With a final clash of steel, they pulled away and walked over to the fire. Sitting down, they greedily gulped water. With a grunt, Flynn handed the vial to Jeanne. "That hits the spot," he said.

Dane smiled and said, "Feeling energetic, are you?"

Flynn nodded with a grin. "Yeah, I'm up for another spar, you wanna?"

Dane shook his head. "No, but since you're feeling so energetic, how about you cook?"

Flynn's grin froze. "Fine," he muttered.

He soon learned that it was Flynn's first time making pasta, and surprisingly, it was good. On second thoughts, Dane realized, of course, it was! 'Heh, Jeanne and I have been teaching him how to cook for almost two weeks.'

Then again, messing up pasta and tomato sauce was almost impossible.

Dane shrugged to himself as he forked the plate down.

Just then, he noticed Flynn thinking. He wasn't eating, and he was hunched with his hand on his chin as if he was pondering the secrets of the universe. 

"Your food's getting cold," he warned.

Flynn blinked and sat straighter, having his reverie broken. "Oh, uh, yeah."

"What were you thinking about?" the legacy asked.

"I was reflecting on the mistakes I made during the spar," Flynn said before bringing his fork to his mouth.

Jeanne smirked, "Your mistake was choosing me as your opponent."

Dane sneered. "Don't get in over your head."

"Why not? I am the strongest here," she said, smiling.

"Physically," he returned. He was about to say something snide when Flynn spoke.

"Ok! Ok!" he said, shaking his head.

Dane and Jeanne exchanged mocking stares for a moment before returning the cavern to the sounds of chewing and scraping cutlery on plates. Yet as they ate, Dane could see the most pleased, smug expression on her face. Frustrated, he turned to Flynn when dinner was over.

"How about you let me train you?" he offered Flynn, flashing a smirk at Jeanne.

Flynn seemed to have stars in his eyes as he asked, "Really?"

Dane said sagely, "Indeed, my inexperienced Padawan. Come. I will make a warrior of you."

The man from the outskirts tilted his head. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're my apprentice of sorts. But only for combat."

Jeanne half sneered, half smiled from the side. "Men," she muttered.

Dane tossed a chunk of firewood into the crackling flames and stood, patting his knees. To ensure that the grace of the blaze still inundated him, he didn't walk far from the campfire.

When his new student stepped up next to him, Dane spoke.

"Do you know the essence of combat?" he asked.

"Murder," Flynn responded. "The first thing my teacher taught me was that."

Dane nodded. "That's one school of thought. An effective one. How would you go about 'murdering' your opponent then?"

"Using my powerful and tall body to overwhelm them," Flynn said. "My teacher taught me to make use of sharp, heavy strikes and blows to stun my opponents and make use of that moment to deal a fatal injury."

The legacy thought for a moment.

"Smart but rudimentary. Today, I'll introduce you to one of the most important aspects of combat. Distance."

He summoned the Basket Blade and faced Flynn. "Summon your weapon."

Flynn nodded and summoned his spear and shield.

After summoning his helm, Dane spoke. "Let us begin." As he instructed Flynn, he casually took steps to the right, and Flynn unwittingly turned to point his spear at him.

Dane made the first move, decisively stepping closer. Flynn responded with a thrust of his steel. Dane nimbly sidestepped. He placed his hand on the spear's shaft and tugged at it.

Flynn, who had extended forward, nearly lost his balance but ultimately kept sure footing. He forced his weight back with superior strength, pulling Dane closer.

The legacy kept his hold on the spear and raised his sword as he rushed in. Pointed straight forward, he drove his sword in. As he felt himself about to lose balance, he let go of the shaft.

As the opposing force on the spear vanished, Flynn lost balance and stumbled backward. It should have been easy to recover from that even if Dane pressed ahead, but Flynn was too close to the fire.

His legs crashed against the firepit's stone shell. He panicked as he tried to stabilize himself. Before he knew it, Dane's blade was pressed to his throat.

***

A/N: Happy New Year!