★ Strength: 21
◆ Fortitude: 14
➶ Agility: 20
⟡ Willpower: 51
⋄ Intelligence: 22
♣ Luck: [redacted]
'Redacted, huh. That's weird…' Nakate muttered, tilting his head as he flipped the page. His finger hovered over the slot where the card had gone, a chill crawling up his spine.
[Traits/Flaws]
[Flaw: Manic]
A fractured mind pushed beyond its threshold. Unpredictable bursts of clarity, rage, and euphoria. May resist fear. May ignore reason. Sanity shall fall quicker.
[Trait: Remembered by the Song]
"You have been marked by a forgotten melody. One gains the possibility to form resonance."
'Looks like my stats went to the first page, and the card slot now holds my traits and flaws. I guess that's going to be useful… at least, I think.'
***
Cole caught up to Nakate as they stepped into the middle of the bridge. Without a word, he drew his rapier and handed it over. Then, with a slow gesture, darkness gathered around his hands, shaping itself into a blade, another rapier, forged from pure shadow.
"I don't know much about other forms of combat beyond the rapier," Cole said evenly. "But I can teach you that and then you can keep mine as your new weapon."
"Could I use your rapier with my dagger?" Nakate asked.
"No," Cole replied flatly. "First you need to learn how to wield a rapier on its own. Once you've built the skill, you can use your Storm Dagger as a parrying weapon."
'Storm Dagger, huh. So that's what people call it,' Nakate thought, shifting into a stance. He raised the rapier, left arm tucked behind his back, the point leveled toward Cole.
"Your stance needs work," Cole muttered. He stepped in close, adjusting Nakate's footing and shoulders with practiced precision.
Cole took a few steps back and lunged at Nakate, his rapier piercing straight through Nakate's chest. But as the blade made contact, it crumbled into dust.
"You died," Cole said flatly. "Why weren't you ready for my attack?"
He stepped back again, shadows curling to reform the rapier in his hand. This time when he lunged, Nakate managed to parry—but too weakly. Cole twisted Nakate's blade aside and struck at his chest once more.
Nakate stumbled back, breath ragged, his grip shaking. Cole's eyes locked on his, sharp and unyielding.
"Again," Cole ordered, his voice cold as stone.
After around thirty minutes of Cole humiliating Nakate, stripping away whatever ego or pride he still had in his nonexistent combat skills, Cole finally stepped closer. His shadow rapier dissolved into mist, and he moved up to fix Nakate's posture and stance once again.
"So first of all, don't use a hammer grip on a rapier." Cole took Nakate's hand and adjusted his fingers, guiding them into a proper hold where his index finger rested just below the guard, still protected by the swirling, ornate hand guard above it.
"Now—while yes, a rapier can cut, don't try to rely on it. Unless you get a really perfect opening, it's a waste. There's a reason rapiers are so thin, it's all for the point. Sharper, faster, better for piercing."
"Also, using a rapier isn't just about stabbing or trying to cut your opponent. If you only focus on landing a hit, you'll die—because while you're thinking about striking, they'll most likely stab you back. And remember this. When fighting anyone, always expect them to be at least twice as skilled as you. Otherwise, your own ego will blind you and that's how you end up dead."
He stepped back, letting the shadow rapier shift slightly in his hand. "To make sure you don't die, you need to learn how to control the rapier."
"I call it creating a wedge over your opponent," Cole explained, positioning both rapiers with sharp precision. "First, keep the true edge of your rapier facing theirs. Always. Then make sure the stronger part of your blade, the one closer to the guard rests over the weaker part of theirs. From there, use that leverage to keep your point aimed at them while forcing their blade away from you."
He demonstrated slowly, pressing Nakate's rapier aside with his own before snapping it back into line, the tip unwavering as it hovered toward Nakate's chest.
"Think fast," Cole said, increasing the speed of his advance toward Nakate's chest. Nakate redirected his blade, finally getting his tip aimed at Cole. He nearly landed a strike—just for Cole to effortlessly dodge and launch an attack of his own.
"Good work. Now, let's keep this up."
***
After around seven hours of training, Nakate was exhausted, leaning against the edge of the bridge. He looked up to see Lix approaching, a book in hand, warmly waving at both Cole and him.
"Now, time for your knowledge training!" Lix yelled as she walked up to Nakate.
"I'm way too exhausted for that," Nakate said, his tone annoyed.
Lix replied, "Yeah, I know, but we plan on leaving in three days, and then we'll get away from this hell. That means you need to learn everything about monsters and the Song. I haven't really seen you even use your Inner Song, so we need to see if you're even capable of forming mantras."
"Right, so how do I see my attunement?" Nakate asked.
"Well, since you haven't had a mantra come to you as a voice in your head, it might mean you're attunementless," Lix explained. "You'd have to drink a special potion to gain attunements. But for that, you'd need to seek a trainer—like a Thundercaller of the Authority or a Bloodrender of the Ministry."
"What is the Ministry?" Nakate asked, curious.
"Oh, well, in more detail… it's a secret organization that, I guess, worships the Drowned Gods, or at least a few of them. They have some prophets who are told to do things I really don't know entirely, but I'd guess it's about saving the world from evil. They're known to be Shadowcasters and—or Bloodrenders. I theorize, The Deepwoken, for Shadowcast, is one of the prophets."
"Wow, well, I guess I could join them and learn Shadowcast like Cole."
Lix gave a subtle smile, her eyes flickering with a mysterious purple reflection for just a fraction of a second. "Sounds like a cool idea."
"Now then, take this book and read it. It's full of important information about monsters you might come across. Since you most likely can't use mantras yet, you'll train with Cole for the next three days. After that, we'll head to Celtor City."
***
Nakate yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. The morning air was crisp, and the Depths' fog lingered just below the bridge.
"Up early," Cole remarked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Good. Means you're ready to stop making mistakes."
Nakate gripped the rapier, adjusting his stance under Cole's watchful gaze. "Ready as I'll ever be," he muttered, though his voice carried doubt.
They sparred slowly at first, Nakate blocking and parrying, trying to anticipate Cole's swift, calculated strikes. Each time Nakate's point wavered, Cole's rapier pressed forward, forcing Nakate to retreat and reset. "Don't overcommit," Cole snapped. "If you stab recklessly, you die."
Hours passed, and the tempo increased. Cole lunged, Nakate blocked, twirled, feinted, pivoted. Sweat dripped from Nakate's brow, his muscles screaming in protest, yet with each clash, his timing sharpened, his parries grew stronger. Cole's movements were mercilessly precise, yet Nakate started reading the small tells in his shoulders, the shift in his eyes before each strike.
"Now attack," Cole ordered. Nakate lunged forward, thrusting the rapier in a clean line toward Cole's chest. Cole sidestepped, but Nakate felt it—the first time his point had almost landed.
'So close!'
Cole nodded, a flicker of approval in his cold expression. "Better. Faster. Sharper. Keep that up, and maybe one day, you won't embarrass yourself against me."
By noon, Nakate's arms burned, his legs trembled, but there was a newfound rhythm in his strikes—a small spark of competence that made the grueling repetition worth every drop of sweat.
Lix approached them again, explaining monster weak points and how to block, parry, and dodge different attacks. "Monsters are surprisingly predictable once you focus on their movements," she said. "Most of them only have three to six attack patterns. That doesn't mean there aren't smarter ones capable of changing their rhythm and inventing new moves, though."
"For example, Owls are exceptionally intelligent—more intelligent than you, Nakate," she continued. He found it odd that she only compared their intelligence to his, rather than to Cole's or her own.
Nakate returned to rest after a long day of training. It felt good to finally sleep, even dreamlessly, in the depths with the safety of the Spire, though he knew that would change in just two days.