SB: Chapter 99 – Axe Skills Training (Patreon)

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Once I had maximized Spear Skills and it had become a tier 2 skill, Focused Spear Skills, I began training with the axe. I had some basic training with the weapon, but I wanted more experience with it. The tier 4 skill, Weapons Mastery, was a long way off, but my mother had mentioned several times that it was a key skill. Getting that skill and Runic Mastery were key goals for my build to become a spellblade.

"Good motion. Remember to step back after you swing so you don't get caught," the Assistant Professor pointed out as we sparred. He had started with an axe as well, but had switched to a sword and shield.

"The major risk with an axe is opening yourself up to a counterattack, so you need to be very aware of the flow of combat far more than with any other weapon."

As we trained, I could understand how the Assistant Professor would respond with his sword. That was my Focused Sword Skills coming into play.

The knowledge from that skill was helping me in combat against that weapon. Skills could be far more versatile than people gave them credit for. It all mattered how someone used them.

"Reverse and counter. Switch hands to keep up the pace," the Assistant Professor said while increasing his speed and forcing me to keep moving while working on more feints and counters.

"Don't be afraid to target my weapon to knock it away. Keep moving. Axes aren't for blocking, power and speed are the key focus."

I took several hits to my medium training armor. It was challenging to keep up my speed with the heavier protective equipment, but I kept pushing myself.

Healer Melon routinely refreshed my stamina, but I still felt quite ill by the end of the long training session.

"That poison is tearing up my gut," I told him after the training was done.

He put his hand on me, and I did my best to lower my Healing Resistance skill.

"We will have you take a break from the potion regimen for the next two days. A bit earlier than I planned to stop, but it is better to be safe. Your healing points are a bit on the low end, so that should give you time to recover," Healer Melon said.

"I want to say I can push through the pain, but it is mentally exhausting keeping Pain Immunity suppressed all the time."

"Even with those issues, you are improving in melee fighting. You are getting better."

"Thanks. I noticed I can pick up on the skills the Assistant Professor is using, like Sword Skills."

"That is common as you gain a deeper understanding of a specific skill. In time, it will only get better."

"I guess that is why I need to master so many weapons."

"You have seen weapon-wielding monsters in the dungeon. Those are some of the more dangerous with overpowered attacks. Knowing how to counter them in combat is incredibly useful."

"My mother mentioned that. You were there," I said, and he shrugged.

"Just repeating some good advice that I heard from someone knowledgeable," he replied with a grin, and I rolled my eyes. I could tell he was teasing me a bit, which was fine. "So where do you want to eat tonight?"

"The Sky Terrace opened up. We get priority with our gold ID plates."

There had been signs about the new eatery on the edge of the flying campus.

After getting cleaned up and changed, we made our way to the new eatery. The eatery used a portion of the outer wall. After getting a table, we enjoyed a prime view of Genoa at sunset as a light breeze blew past us.

"The weather wards are impressive," I said while looking out at the stunning views.

Everything looked so small from up here, like toys. I saw ships going in and out of the massive port. Genoa was busy with trade and not just politics.

"I would think that enjoying a meal on a flying mountain would be more impressive."

"True. I can't argue with that. It is hard to remember that we are on a flying mountain. So many days it seems so mundane. I can't even tell that we are flying unless I come to a place like this."

While it might seem amazing to study at a flying College, it didn't impact the learning speed. It just added to the ambiance and was a reminder of how impressive this place was.

"Welcome! Today the meal on order is shrimp and oysters, taking advantage of what the city of Genoa has on offer."

This place was much more expensive than the other eateries at the College, but I didn't mind splurging. Even though they offered only a single meal each day, that was fine.

Good food was the spice of life.

"That sounds excellent. Bring a pitcher of water, please."

"Water as well," Healer Melon said. After the server left, he looked at me. "Thirsty?"

"Quite a bit more than normal."

Healer Melon got up from his chair and put his hand on top of my head.

"Your body is just processing the poison. Slightly concerning. We are going to pause the poison regime for an entire week to ensure your health stabilizes," he said with a heavy sigh and sat back down.

"I trust you."

"I appreciate that. While I have reviewed the data the College has compiled and the experiences of others who underwent such a regimen, each person is unique. That is why there is always some risk with procedures that have been around for less than a decade."

"Well, my healing points aren’t bottoming out, so I should be okay, right?"

"That is a complicated question. Normally, a person can't die if they have some healing points left. Even the most powerful of poisons would draw down a person's healing points first before killing them," he explained while I listened closely.

"And the complicated part?"

"Compounding effects where the poison triggers a hidden injury or a separate poison that has been dormant. My best guess is that even though it is considered Non-Alchemical, there are still residual Alchemical traces left behind. This is what is causing an issue."

"Well, let's wait a week like you planned. Then we can reevaluate. There is no rush, but I appreciate the thought. Have you considered the other resistances?"

"A chamber would be necessary. If you take the top position this year, I can get a resistance chamber to work for the next six years. The cost will be quite a bit."

"I have quite a bit after the settlement, and if I place first, they will refund my scholarship, which should more than cover my expenses."

"True. I hadn't considered that. If there are no money concerns, then I can put together a solid resistance training plan for the next six years."

"Really? You are being quite proactive," I said just as the server brought over our meals and drinks.

The College staff truly was the best, as I enjoyed the perfectly cooked shrimp and oysters.

"I am around until you graduate. The least I can do is help you improve. The power leveling your mother did was incredibly valuable. I am also learning quite a bit while I am here. I want to see you go the distance. You can include me in a couple of chapters of your biography when you become a Supreme Legend," he said, his bald head glinting in the setting sun.

It was nice to hear that he really cared for me.

"Wait, do all legends have a biography?" I asked, while thinking of my mother.

"Yes. It is something that aspiring writers dream of accomplishing. Writing about one of the vanguards of civilization and their backstories is a monumental achievement. Most of them have an agreement to only publish after their death or if they do not show up anywhere in civilization for ten years," Healer Melon said, and I slowly nodded.

"So somewhere out there, my mother probably has a writer who has completed her biography. Huh, I wonder why she said nothing," I said.

"Because the accounts are truthful. It's a shame that the Eternal Emperor got rid of most of the historical ones, so the population didn't realize the heights one could reach. I know all this only because it is a point of pride for the Five Star Institute of Healing. We have a couple of copies of biographies of Supreme Legends from before the Eldarin Empire in our vault."

"It would be interesting to read them one day," I replied, and Healer Melon shook his head.

"You might think so, but The Neverending Journey by Bastian is tame in comparison."

"What?! With the baking and the monster killing?"

"Most of them are much darker. Selerium Soulbound merged his body and soul with monsters to become a misshapen monstrosity. Arwin the Archer was an elf who hunted humans for sport. It doesn't get much better. The Eldarin Empire didn't just spring into existence because the world was a nice place and the Eternal Emperor wanted to make it worse. When the Eldarin Empire was founded, many people considered the Eldarin Emperor a bastion of reason and protection."

"They don't teach that in the history books."

“After the Eldarin Empire was overthrown, it was heavily discredited, but the Five Star Institute of Healing still maintains historical records. We don't argue with other nations. Our focus is healing.”

"How did writers even convince these people?"

"They put their lives on the line for their craft and vowed to honestly give an account of what the Supreme Legend gave them to write. There is a writing enclave on the island where the Institute is. I heard someone had spoken with your mother, but no one has approached Blood Gore the Butcher deep in the dungeon. Though a writer made it to the Last Bastion to work on a biography for The Librarian."

"And if the Supreme Legend lives longer than the writer?"

"Then the writer will update with what they learn or go back and speak to the person again. Or another writer will pick up where they left off to complete the work. It is a very niche thing. People widely talked about The Last Bastion in the dungeon as counter-propaganda to the Eldarin Empire, and that's the only reason The Neverending Journey is so popular."

I knew all of this, but he recast history in a slightly different light. Thinking back on what I had learned, history was determined by the victor. The Eldarin Empire won first and wiped out everything it didn't like. Then the victors wiped out everything about the Eldarin Empire after they defeated it.

"Dwarven history is much more focused on how the city-states came to be before the Eldarin Empire and the rise of corporations to streamline their military-industrial complex. A lot of politics as well."

"Hmm, the dwarves were heavily isolationist until the Eldarin Empire almost wiped them out. The elves have a much longer history. That class will have a much more opposing viewpoint than the history you have learned so far. Just very Elven-centric. I bet most of the dwarven history is about the superiority of the dwarves."

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