"Your personal sword dance?" Johan was taken aback. Sword dance was a skill that signified one had become a swordmaster in his previous world.

How can such a precious skill be offered with such ease?

"Yeah, it's a bit unconventional for you to learn a sword dance while barely being able to use a sword but I think you got it." Rey replied.

"Don't only swordmasters have one? How can you hand me yours so easily?" John asked, a look of confusion having taken over his face. 

Rey laughed loudly and patted Johan on the back. 

"It sure would be nice if having a sword dance made you a swordmaster. You northerners really are living in your own world. Never fails to amaze me. But no, they are not as unique as you think. Sure, the average soldier doesn't have one but the more you climb the ladder the more of them you see. My sword dance is nothing special but it will be good enough to help you deal with some of the gray when you go back home." Rey replied. 

"Will it really?" Johan asked, faking a hue of desperation in his voice.

Johan felt guilty about his deception of the old man. He was given so much for what was a fabricated story. A story that was much more hopeful than his reality. Reminded of the fall of sanctuary yet again, he felt as if a knot had formed around his neck restraining his speech. It felt as if a hundred hands tried to choke him.

"Of course it will. It might be a second rate sword dance but it will do a good job if you do as I say. I don't think you'll be able to get aura in time but you should be able to survive with this." Rey smiled.

"Thank you Rey. Really. You fed me and now you're teaching me something so important. I owe you a lot." Johan said

"Thank me after you learn the sword dance. You'll have enough time to hate me in the meantime. Now follow me." Rey replied with a chuckle. 

"Will do."

Rey and Johan made their way deeper into the forest. The trees were much more concentrated to the point where some spots looked like prison cells. Rey positioned himself into one of these spots and looked at Johan.

"This is my sword dance. It doesn't have a name. Not yet but it is my proud creation. I'd advise against closing your eyes" Rey said. 

When Rey stopped talking something in his eyes changed. They looked pained and sad. He unsheathed his sword and assumed a relaxed stance. He struck forward and started moving around the trees, slashing at them as he moved. He moved with incredible smoothless, taking no unnecessary steps. His movements looked bouncy and even the move miniscule movements of his body felt intentional in a beautiful way. Each of his strikes would mark three trees as he did not stop moving, even mid-strike.

"This sword dance is meant to allow one to fight against many. Mobility is its main weapon and not raw strength. And it can also do one more thing. It allows you to mitigate the disadvantages of fighting while trying to protect. That is why I chose to teach this to you." Rey spoke. 

Rey then stood with his back facing a tree and continued his routine. It felt identical to the one before but something stood out. No matter how far he would go and how much he would strike, his movements always ended up with his back facing the same tree. 

"That's how you do it. Try it." Rey said, trusting in Johan's talent. 

Johan swapped places with Rey and was ready to give it his best shot. He was high on the confidence of having managed to gain two skills in the same day. He was greedy for a third one and so he would give it his wall to replicate what he saw. He positioned himself properly and started performing the sword dance with speed matching that of Rey's. Though his greed for another skill only held him back. Hentrippedmover hismowm feet at the very first steps, causing him to fall face first into a tree. 

It's more complicated that it seems. 

Rey did not react but continued to watch with his arms folded across his chest.

Johan shook his head and tried to start the sword dance again. Yet he kept on failing on the very first steps with Rey looking more and more disappointed with every attempt. 

All those fruitless attempts culminated at one moment. Johan had broken his record on how far he had gotten. He felt like he was getting the hang of it but that all changed after he failed to match one of the steps and he rolled over his ankle, causing it to audibly snap. 

Johan fell on the ground with a grunt and activated his heal skill which fixed the injury but Rey looked more upset than before. 

"You need to be able to do it slowly to be able to do it fast. Try again but slower this time." Rey spoke for the first time in minutes. 

[...]

[...]

[...]

It took Johan a month before he could confidently replicate the sword dance's steps though he had yet to succeed a complete cycle at full speed. But the training was not fruitless. In the meantime he had expanded his knowledge of imperial swordsmanship and toughened his body even more. 

Johan and Rey were yet again near those same trees. They had been marked by swords so many times that some had started to die. 

"COME ON! PICK UP THE PACE!" Rey barked. 

Johan did not reply. He couldn't hear what was happening around him as he had entered a flow state. Everything that wasn't his main focus might have as well not been there. He was but a few steps away from completing the sword dance for the very first time. While performing those steps time seemed to slow down, the few moments between each step feeling like an eternity. But it all culminated in a near flawless completion.

[Skill {Count Rey's Sword Dance(D)} Acquired] 

Upon seeing the pop-up Johan froze up. 

Wait what?

Johan looked at Rey with surprise. The old man looked nothing like a count. 

"No, it can't be. How could it be." Johan mumbled to himself.

"Johan are you alright?" Rey asked. 

"Status window." Johan said, ignoring Rey.

The familiar blue screen appeared in front of Jihans face for the first time in a while. 

***

[User]: Johan Adams

[Class]: Healer 

[Compatibility]: Flawless

[Status]: Body Condition Adequate, Mana Reserves Full 

[Skills]

Heal (MAX), Poison Immunity (S), Curse Immunity (S), Disease Immunity (S), Cleansing Touch (S), Body Conditioning (E), Imperial Swordsmanship (D), Count Rey's Sword Dance (D).

[Karma]:1,001,753

[Karma Points]: 1,753

[Karma Shop Unavailable]

***

Johan begrudgingly tapped on {Count Rey's Sword Dance} to see what that skill truly was.

***

{Count Rey's Sword Dance}

The unique unnamed sword dance of Fera's Count, Rey Ferman. It is an evolution of his original sword dance. It was created to protect when Rey Ferman became a Count after losing his family to an assassin attack at age 15. This sword dance is incomplete.

***

"Hey kid. Did something happen?" Rey said, approaching Johan and tapping his shoulder. 

Johan turned toward Rey with a look of disbelief. His mouth was half open as he tried to make sense of the situation. Questions were dooodings his head but he couldn't find an answer. 

Why would a noble leave their castle? Why would a noble train a complete stranger. Why would a noble bring food to some random person that they found in the forest? 

"Rey. Who are you?" Johan asked. 

-

Inside a lavish office filled with gold and silver. A red haired man was sitting in a dark oak chair. He was writing a letter to someone with a quill. His handwriting was eloquent and steady as he wrote with conviction. He only stopped when he heard knocking from his door. 

"Yes?" The man said in a daunting voice.

"Lord, count Reis wants to speak with you." A butler said.

"He can enter." The man replied. 

A short stocky man made his way into the office. He had a balding head and brown eyes. 

"Duke, my brother is wasting more and more money on the slums. What should we do? The treasury will run dry if things continue like that." The count said.

"The slums you say? This is very good. Worry not Reis. We are exactly where we need to be. You will get the title very very soon my friend." The duke replied.

"Thank you Duke." The man said with a sinister smile.