Chapter 72: Sword Proficiency
The sound coming from the other room was drowned out by Lucas’ own battle.
They had been going at it for god knows how long, Lucas barely managing to remain standing. He couldn’t read his moves, couldn’t predict where the next strike would come from and as time went on, it began to dawn on him that he might actually lose...
Ryker’s blade came in low, then high, then low again in a rapid succession of motions that Lucas barely tracked, let alone countered, and he felt the edge of Ryker’s sword tear into his forearm before he’d even fully registered the feint.
Lucas tried to strike Ryker where he was open but Ryker pivoted to the side and struck Lucas in the side of his head.
He swung horizontally, and Lucas raised an arm up to catch the blade, forgetting that [Ignition] could no longer aid him at the moment.
He realised too late. He forced his arm down but Ryker’s blade was already close enough that it cut Lucas, tearing into his forearm as the slash went along his arm.
"Ah!" He staggered back, blood pooling out along the cut.
**CHING**
He barely got his own borrowed sword up in time to catch the follow through. The blade clashed along the side of his, and ran along till it was inches from his hand.
Lucas let go of the blade to avoid being cut, and awkwardly reached out to grab it, careful not to grab the sharp side by accident.
"How are you this good with a sword," Lucas gasped, giving ground fast as every parry costing him more than the last. If he stayed too close too long, it could cost him more than a few bruises.
"You run a Faction. You’re not supposed to fight like you’ve spent twenty years training for this."
Ryker’s blade didn’t slow, he drove the blade forward in another precise combination that forced Lucas backward farther with each clash.
"[Sword Proficiency]," he said, almost as if they were in a conversation. "It’s my second skill. It grants technique, muscle memory, form — everything a lifetime of training would normally cost. It’s all delivered to me, all at once."
Lucas’ expression dimmed. ’Of course. Of course he has a second ability. Why wouldn’t he?.’ Lucas facepalmed mentally even as he dodged another strike. He couldn’t deny the frustration rising withing him alongside the pain. ’Should’ve guessed the second I saw him move.’
He dodged another swung. ’Must be nice to have a skill that doesn’t glitch out..’ he thought this with jealousy and a deadpanned expression...
"That explains a lot," Lucas muttered, catching a strike on his own blade at an angle that sent a rattle up through his wrist.
"It explains why you’re losing," Ryker said, pressing the advantage, blade flashing in a wide arc that Lucas barely ducked beneath.
"Losing? If I lost here, it wouldn’t even count." He clashed with Ryker twice. "You’re facing someone who has NO experience with swords..."
"I’m surprised you are actually able to last this long..."
Lucas drove a strike that Ryker dodged easily. "Yeah, so am i.."
The fight dragged on, Lucas’ crude swordsmanship failing against Ryker’s honed precision as it was obvious that he lacked the techniques needed to keep up, every exchange leaving fresh cuts along his arms, another cut on his shoulder, a deep gash across his thigh that made every step that followed burn.
He had no choice, he fought defensively now, pure survival instinct guiding movements that had nothing elegant left in them. He moved like a cornered animal, blocking, dodging and retreating in a rhythm that felt more and more harder to continue with every passing second.
’Come on. The one time I need that skill more than anything.’
The hilt of Ryker’s blade caught him in the ribs, the hit landing hard enough to make him gasp, and Lucas’s back hit the wall hard, breath forced out of him entirely.
He swung and Lucas ducked, trying to break free but Ryker pressed forward, hitting him in the chest and swinging so fast that Lucas barely got his own sword up in time.
He tired raising his sword, his arms trembling with exhaustion, as he watched Ryker’s blade rise for what looked like a finishing strike.
"This is where it ends," Ryker said, breathing hard but steady with his blade angled for Lucas’ throat. "You should have eaten the food. Your death would been a lot less painful."
[Ding!]
[Skill: Ignition has been activated.]
’Yes!’
Lucas’ eye widened in relief as the flames flaired around his fists. He pushed Ryker back and rush at him with a flaming punch.
[Skill: Ignition has been disabled.]
The flame flickered and died again before the punch connected.
’No!’
Ryker hit his wrist and spun, the blade rushing for his neck when Lucas’ system pinged again.
[Skill: Ignition has been activated.]
He caught the blade instinctively, the flames coming alive on his fist and he disengaged, aiming for a punch to his side.
[Skill: Ignition has been disabled.]
’Oh, come on!’
Then it came again, but this time, it didn’t stop...
The notifications flashed rapid fire across his vision, glitching and overlapping until the text itself blurred into what looked like a wall filled with glitched texts and flickering windows.
He tried to strike back but the screens kept appearing in his view, blocking out his view of Ryker’s incoming blade entirely.
He twisted to the side, the blade tearing across his cheek as he rolled clear.
’Wonderful. Just wonderful... what’s the point if you won’t stay long enough to actually let me use it?’
Ryker’s blade descended, and Lucas didn’t have time to formulate a plan, he didn’t have time to calculate angles, predict patterns or do anything at all. Ryker didn’t give him enough space to think of anything anyway...
’Argh screw it.’
He threw himself forward, straight into the strike, sword already swinging toward Ryker’s exposed side. He swung sometimes, threw punches with a hand burning with sputtering flames at other times.
’Alright.’ The thought came as he dodged a blade aimed at his neck. ’If I can’t use it whole, I’ll just have to work with this...’