Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

Chapter 165 - 165 - Pain and gain

Lunch is as expected, nourishing and filling for sure but rather bland as well. I really pity the people working and living here at the keep. And all just because the current lord, Szymona's father seems to be unreasonably paranoid? Well, maybe it's not an unreasonable paranoia. Yes, he could have his reasons. Reasons I'm not aware of. Still, I pity the people who have to eat these bland meals every day. I pity the cooks who have to prepare them a little too. I'm pretty sure most would rather serve something flavorful that puts a smile on the recipients face.

In the end it doesn't matter much. We quietly eat together, up on the very top of the keep, so we can at least enjoy the view. Lady Izolda is composed as ever and Justyna does her best to mimic her. Szymona on the other hand has a little trouble containing her excitement. Excitement that most certainly doesn't stem from the food but rather the next training session she is looking forward to.

I don't begrudge her that excitement. In fact I feel a little excited as well. Prgogress for her almost certainly means progress for me as well. It's a win win situation if there ever was one. The main difference between us two is, that I keep my excitement bottled up for the better part. Oh, Lady Izolda sees right through me, of that I'm certain. But as far as the others are concerned, I'm just doing business as usual with this quest.

Curiously enough my act seems good enough to earn me some progress for my [Bluff] skill and my [Etiquette] skill improves a little too, since I do my best to mimic the other ladies eating quietly. It's not exactly the progress I'm looking for today, but who am I to complain? No, I'll take what I can get. Like a free lunch. Except, of course, it isn't exactly a free lunch. I'm working for it after all.

Eventually this moment of quiet respite draws to an end of course and we return to the fencing hall we used before. It still feels weird how so much of the keep, which to be honest is not exactly a grand and sprawling palace, can feel so quiet and empty. The only reason it doesn't look abandoned is because it clearly is still well cared for. Regular cleaning and maintenance is obviously getting done.

I have to fight the urge to grin, as keeping my eyes open and my attention on all the little details that give the state of local affairs away is enough to earn me another little bit of progress, this time for my [Perception] skill, which is and probably always will be one of my core skills.

For now though my focus is back on the task at hand, helping my sparring partner improve her vitality based skills another bit. It sounds so trivial, but it really isn't. I can't just lay into her. No, I have to make sure she has a chance to either block my attacks with the buckler or to at least take them on her heavy armor instead of an unarmored spot. I can't go for vital spots either, as that would risk causing too much serious damage. At the same time I can't go easy on Szymona either.

It really is a delicate balancing act. One wrong step on this particular tightrope might bring me face to face with Lady Izolda. And that is not a challenge I can hope to master. Not right now or any time soon for that matter.

The sound of clattering metal dispels the not quite silence in the room, as I stomp my feet and clap my hands once Justyna is done helping me put the greaves and the plate gauntlets back on, which we took off for convenience while eating.

"Ready to weather another few punches and kicks? I won't announce them from now on. Do try to take them either on your heavy armor or on your shield though, since that's the purpose of this exercise."

Szymona nods and picks her buckler back up. There is an almost eager look on her face. Good. We are doing this for her after all.

I don't waste any time after my announcement either. I just wait long enough to make sure Justyna and Lady Izolda are well out of the way, then I spring into action again. And while I'm not announcing my attacks with words anymore I'm still going for the easy to read ones in the beginning. Like another powerful left hook.

My opponent can't take that one on her buckler, at least not easily, as it comes in from the wrong side. She isn't shy about improvising though. She turns slightly and brings her other arm up in a guard position to take the blow on her gauntlets. The hit still shakes her a little though.

[*Ding!* Hit! Szymona's Health reduced by 3!]

Her skills obviously make progress as the damage I deal starts to dwindle even though she didn't use her shield and its associated skill this time around. My own [Brawling] skill keeps improving little by little too. Overall it's a satisfying start to our afternoon workout.

Instead of resting on my laurels I keep going though, following up with a knee to the stomach since I'm already close in. She certainly doesn't even try to block, soaking it with her armor instead.

[*Ding!* Hit! Szymona's Health reduced by 3!]

That one takes her by surprise, judging by the look on her face. Still, she isn't discouraged, although she must be receiving notifications mirroring the ones brushing the back of my mind. Quite the opposite may be true. She must enjoy her skills progressing as much as I like the progress my [Brawling] skill is making thanks to this. Goodness gracious, am I turning her into a battle maniac? Well, it's not like that is the worst state of mind she can have in a situation like this. My next punch gets blocked with the buckler and it's a good thing that my own gauntlets come with some padding under the plates too or this would be a very painful experience for me in turn.

[*Ding!* Hit! Szymona's Health reduced by 0!]

Curiously enough this means that this time around it's not just my [Brawling] skill which improves ever so slightly. No this time around my own [Heavy Armor] skill benefits too.

Stolen novel; please report.

My opponent seems to be getting ever more eager with every punch or kick she blocks. She might be getting close to another level up. Maybe even two considering the way she uses several skills to defend herself. It might just not be vitality based skills only either although those are the focus of this training session.

That eagerness and enthusiasm are contagious. In the heat of the moment I decide to challenge Szymona a little more, with a drop kick that might just drive her to her knees even if she successfully blocks it. I'm not aiming for any vulnerable spot in particular, but I put a lot of power behind it. More than enough that the next bit of progress for my [Brawling] skill feels well earned.

My opponent doesn't disappoint. She is really getting into it. She gets both arms up in time to block. And she uses both her gauntlets and her buckler to take the brunt of the attack, suffering no actual damage as a result! She stumbles backward a little too, but manages to stay on her feet without giving up her cover. She looses focus, at least for a moment though, as apparently several notifications distract her all at once.

In a real fight I would press the advantage. Since this is only training I give her a moment to recover though. Just as well, as Lady Izolda raises an arm to call for a break anyway. I flash the young lady still pretending to be a young lord a grin.

"Got several notifications all at once? Better get used to it. Can't let something like that distract you in a real fight. Unless, of course, you want to give your opponent a chance to rearrange your nose."

Szymona grins too, taking my words in stride. She accepts a towel from Justyna to wipe away some of the sweat she has worked up and so do I a moment later as well. Before I can say anything else though she answers my initial question.

"Three level up notifications for skills all at once. And an achievement notification! I finally managed to break through the one hundred health barrier and I even did so without a class level up!"

I can see why that would excite and possibly distract her. I still fondly remember earning that particular achievement myself. I hand my towel back to Justyna who is still attending to us.

"I guess that means that leveled up some vitality based skills after all. Might even have gotten an improvement for your defense out of it too, even if it's probably just a minor one."

She nods enthusiastically at first, but then she quickly sobers up.

"Improving my defense that way will take forever. I really wish I could work on more vitality based skills, not just the ones I get to use now. Especially as earning more levels for those will soon get harder and harder!"

I can only chuckle in response, while we resume our positions at the center of the room, facing each other once again.

"Yes, I guess you don't get to do a lot of running or swimming locked up in the keep as you are. And you probably don't have to forage for food and shelter either."

"So true! And unlike Justyna I can't exactly sneak out of this place a night every once in a while either."

This casual statement of course prompts an indignant response from the lady in waiting.

"Hey!"

I just roll my eyes though. I mean, Justyna can't really expect the head maid not to know, right? I don't think anything happening, anything of note anyway, within the walls of the keep and possibly anywhere nearby goes unnoticed by that woman.

"Well, we will have to keep working with the skills we can make use of. Just like you have to win battles with the weapons and soldiers you have instead of the ones you wish you had."

I cut the lighthearted banter short at this point, since I'm not getting paid to make small talk. I spring into action with a swift left hook and right jab combination. That allows me to progress not just my [Brawling] skill but my [Ambidextrous] skill as well.

Szymone is clearly tempted to deflect these blows at first, but takes them head on with her arms up in a guard position in the end, as deflecting would probably count towards her [Parry] skill rather than her [Block] skill. Curious how she takes the blows on her gauntlets instead of using her buckler though. Well, its her choice which skills she puts to use.

[*Ding!* Hit! Szymona's Health reduced by 1!]

[*Ding!* Hit! Szymona's Health reduced by 1!]

Oh yes, her defenses are improving for sure. The notifications, or rather their numbers, don't lie after all. Or at least I think that they don't. Not unless another skill obscuring the truth is involved anyway. Never mind though. I like how that just worked out and besides, I might just get another level for my [Ambidextrous] skill out of this, if not my [Brawling] skill since that one is still far from the next level up, thus I follow up with another combination attack, except, this time the hook comes from the right and the jab from the left.

Again Szymona blocks as before which makes it pretty clear that she is doing it on purpose to improve a particular set of skills of her own.

[*Ding!* Hit! Szymona's Health reduced by 1!]

[*Ding!* Hit! Szymona's Health reduced by 1!]

Szymona's eyes lighting up at first, before a rather conflicted look replaces the excitement suggests that she received another notification. It might not be the one she was hoping for though. She quickly regains her composure though and doesn't complain. Why would she anyway. For her every level up is a good one.

I don't give her a lot of time to think on it anyway, following up with another double punch. Quite literal, as it's two quick jabs this time around. They are in fact quick enough to press her hard enough to block with her buckler this time around.

This has the curious side effect of helping me level my [Heavy Armor] skill in addition to my [Brawling] skill. I receive a much desired notification on top of the usual damage notifications too!

[*Ding!* Hit! Szymona's Health reduced by 1!]

[*Ding!* Hit! Szymona's Health reduced by 1!]

[*Ding!* Your skill Ambidextrous has leveled up to level 6!]

This one counts towards the progress of my hedge witch class curiously enough, but that's quite alright too. Since it's an uncommon skill it directly improves my agility too. Sadly not enough to raise my attack power as well though.

It's too bad that Lady Izolda steps in after this exchange, to call for another break or rather a change of plans.

"Good. You made some exceptional progress, young lord. We should pick up fencing again now though, since this is the actual lesson I'm supposed to teach you. Let's not go straight back to aiming for vulnerable spots though. I think you both need to recover some more first. Viviona, Szymon, a simple exchange of blows, if you please would. Try to drive each other across the floor."

Her words ring true and I'm not going to argue with her anyway, since she is the one to sign off on my paycheck. Besides, this might give me a chance to earn some more skill ranks, or at least some partial progress anyway, before the day is over. Thus I pick up buckler and rapier again, assuming a guard position which in turn is all the prompting my sparring partner needs to attack as the head maid instructed.