Capítulo 76: Annoying Arche
Remi visited me a few times over the next few days. I showed how to draw some basic Runes, and answered any simple questions she had. She was picking up the knowledge rather quickly, though her drawing skills had to improve. Vick also got his new sword. He chose a two handed sword, since he didn't want to use a shield anyway. We sparred a few times, but there was no way he could win against me.
Lana kept avoiding me, but she began frequenting the training area. Though we didn't train together, I saw her there each morning while meeting up with uncle Aran. Her presence surprised even my uncle. "You guys coming here is a blessing. Our young warriors are taking things more seriously. You proved how much they can still learn. Lana practicing her sword is also a rarity these days. From what Norty said in the past, Lana pretty much abandoned her training after reaching the Outer Limits stage. Moreover, all my students are cursing you for that obstacle course. Let me tell you, they really struggle with it", uncle said.
"Well, I hoped they'd at least have some fun doing it… Oh well, at least the challenging part is true. When it comes to Lana, her pride suffered and it's something even I can tell", I replied. "Yes, that girl is strong, but boy did she become arrogant. Unfortunately, they live in another village. Otherwise, I would quickly trim that attitude of hers. Anyway, let's focus on your practice", uncle said.
We practiced the rhythm and the footwork techniques as always, but uncle Aran introduced something new. He showed me different sword flows, but they didn't seem all that natural and… Well, flowing. For a better demonstration, uncle asked me for a small bout. '...I have to defend all the time, and he's not even serious… These attacks might look random, but there is a rhythm to them'. Uncle really made everything clear. Just because his attacks didn't look refined or elegant, that didn't mean they were less effective.
"You see the point, right? Although my attacks don't flow as naturally as they could, there is a reason for such erratic flow. Of course, you will need to develop your own flows and match them with your rhythms. Again, the more you have, the better this sword style will become", he explained. "Yes, I understand. Are we going to work on my flows then?", I asked. "We can slowly start working on that, since you are picking up a rhythm or two. Remember, you are not copying me, these are your own flows and rhythms", he replied.
The training with my uncle ended in the afternoon. I was hoping for some peace and quiet, but then annoying Arche came to pester me. "Anna, Anna! Show me some of those Formations!", he exclaimed. I didn't want to deal with him, but decided to play nice. "Alright, let's go outside", I agreed.
There was no need for me to draw anything complex. Not for a snotty and annoying kid. I decided on a simple twister Formation. Arche pestered me even during the drawing process. He asked stupid questions like, 'When will you finish?', or 'What are you doing?'. 'Oh boy, you're lucky this is not a fire twister…', I thought while calmly replying to his pointless questions. That kid had zero patience.
The Formation took me a few minutes to draw, but he was already complaining about 'me taking my time'. I ignored his stupid comments, then activated the Formation. A twister rose from the ground, spinning at a moderate speed.
"So, what do you think? It's cool, right?". Arche didn't seem all that impressed, "That's all? I expected something more… Can't you make something bigger?". 'I swear…', "... That's not all, the real purpose is this..", I replied while throwing him inside the twister. Arche screamed as if someone skinned him alive. Even aunt Diana came out running, to see what happened. "It's fine, he's safe… See. He'll just spin around at the top. Nothing to worry about", I tried to calm her down. "I don't care, make it stop!", she exclaimed.
I stopped the Formation, which weakened slowly until Arche landed on the ground. "Waaahh!… Why would you do that!?", he cried at me. "It's just a bit of fun. The younger kids in the North consider this fun...", I replied. "This is not the North, so don't do something like that anymore. Apologise to Arche for doing such a horrible thing", aunt demanded. 'Ugh… Stupid brat!', I thought but then apologised. She took Arche away, which of course made me happy. 'What an entitled bunch. How can uncle Aron live with them?', I asked myself.
Since annoying Arche was no longer an issue, I met up with Mira. "Yea, I actually know where you're coming from. To be honest, everyone thinks Arche is a snotty brat, but he is a family so we tolerate him in a way", she said after I told her what happened. "Anyway, where's Vick? You usually hang out together", I changed the subject. "Well, since you beat him up a few times, he's been frequenting the training area. I mean, even my sister goes there now", she replied.
"Yea, I saw her there myself, but what about you? You don't want to be a warrior or a traveller. You don't want to study Formations. What do you want to do exactly?", I asked, a bit confused. "Hehe, nothing really. Just live my life. I know what you might think, especially since it comes to our family. I just don't have any goals, or rather my goals are quite mundane. Find a husband, have a bunch of kids and live a happy life. I don't need all the fighting, knowledge or whatever", she explained.
'Well, I guess not everyone has a drive for something. She only wants to be happy, and I can't fault that', I thought. The town had maybe four shops only, and something like the Challenger's Corner didn't really exist. We could only go for a hike around or outside the town.
I asked Mira whether she found someone attractive. "I don't have anyone, at least not now. How about you? Have you found anyone yet?", she asked instead. "Not really. I'm not allowed to travel alone, or rather wasn't allowed until my father returned. Every time we visited somewhere, I spent my time with friends or working. Though I met many people, all of them are my friends", I replied.
"Well, from what you told me, Humans are rather rare in the North… Still, to think your father is an Emperor. Princess Anna, eh? Does that make us royalty as well?", she asked. "I don't know really. You are my family, so perhaps yes? I mean, at least in the North, right?", I replied, unsure.
"Heh, I'd love to visit the North one day. From what you said, that place is really different compared to the Endrosian Empire", she added. "I don't see why you guys couldn't visit us. I mean, your parents are strong. There shouldn't be any problems for you guys to pay us a visit", I invited. "Who knows, if mom and dad agree, we might go there one day. Lana would probably like the idea too… Hmmm, maybe I can use that to my advantage…", she replied. Though her goals were mundane, no one would deny she belonged to the Wintersteed family.
We conversed a bit more, but then decided to go back home. To my surprise, more guests arrived. More precisely, my mother's friends came for the wedding. "Huh? Did you guys come with my father?", I asked. "Oh, little Anna. You grew up so much already. No, we came by ourselves. There was no need to impose on your father", Garond replied. "You really grew up a lot. You became a young lady", Olia came over to greet me as well. The others said hello too, but then their attention shifted to the adults.
Uncle Aron asked Niel for a bout, since there was nothing better to do. Niel being a bit of a hot head, accepted right away. Vick and a few others joined them for some entertainment, but I didn't go with them. "How's your sword practice coming along?", Lares asked. "It's going well so far. I'm learning new sword technique from my uncle, as well as some basic footwork. Oh, and there is this obstacle course I made just outside the town. You guys should have a look, though it's not going to be a challenge for you", I replied.
"We will surely have a look later", Olia said but then focused on my mother and her ring. She asked many questions, and talked even more. 'I guess some things never change, eh?', I said to myself, while looking at my mother's friends.
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