The Stonehearted Knight

'You don't belong here.'

Hex woke up with a start. The memories faded.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. His hands hurt. The mark stung.

Hex noticed it turned a shade darker.

Woosh.

With a bit of focus he managed to activate the mark. Red light wrapped around his arm and the faint outline of a bear appeared in his palm.

'I can't believe all those things happened in one day.'

Hex received a Blessing, got taken in by the baron and then managed to win a fight against an experienced Squire.

'I bet I can beat Sloan without tricks now.'

He had not heard anything about it. Most likely Sloan and his father kept things hidden from everyone.

'Wait. What about Vitor?' At the end of the fight he barely stayed conscious. The sound of broken bones at the end meant he should have won.

'Now I have to worry about him too. And who knows how the others will respond.'

Grumble.

Hex was just wondering what to do next when his stomach grumbled. He hadn't eaten last night.

'The sun is already up. I hope the baron doesn't mind me being late today.'

…

Hex didn't know where to find the baron. But he knew his way to the kitchen.

The chef welcomed him and the servants lined up food for him. Hex ate toast, a piece of lamb and peas. Everything was delicious.

Just as he was finishing, Wallen entered the kitchen. He sat beside Hex.

"Congratulations on activating the mark on your own."

Hex grinned. "Thanks. But I think it was more desperation than skill. How's Vitor?"

"You broke his arms. Nicely done." Hex saw Wallen look at appreciatively.

'I guess they don't really care how duels end up.' Hex just shrugged and threw Vitor to the back of his mind.

"I didn't make dinner last night. Where can I find the ba…I mean my master?" Hex inquired, trying to sound as a good student.

"The baron is busy. Once you are done I will take you to the library."

Hex looked at Wallen worried.

"You mean I need to read books?"

"You should often read. It's good for the mind. But that's not what I meant," Wallen replied. "The baron has left a book on strength enhancement and control. He said to focus first on one aspect."

"Is it a technique?" Hex's eyes shone in anticipation. The best thing about tutelages were the techniques you could get.

"Yes. A technique is the best way to increase and control your strength.

The prospect of getting a technique motivated Hex. He finished his meal in rapt tempo. Wallen sat beside him, staring at the wall in silence.

'When he acts like this, he truly looks like a puppet,' Hex mused. In less than a minute he finished his meal and thanked the chef.

Wallen and he left for the library, which was on the second floor.

The first thing Hex noticed upon entering was the sheer size of the library. The day before Wallen only mentioned it, but they hadn't entered it.

There were rows after rows of shelves, filled with books and scrolls.

"Wow."

"Are all these techniques?" Hex asked in awe.

"Of course not. Apart from the high temple and a few old guilds, no one has a library this big, filled with techniques."

Wallen pointed at a thick book on the table. "This is an index. There are books on various topics in the library you can access."

Hex decided to spend some time in the library daily. Even if the baron screwed him over, he could at least use his knowledge to improve.

"And the techniques are here too?" It would be great if he had access to as many techniques as possible.

Sadly, he was bound to be disappointed.

"The techniques are here, but kept inside a safe. Only the baron has free access to them. He is also the only one who decides who gets one."

'What a shame,' Hex thought, 'but it makes sense. Techniques can tip the balance in a fight. It would be stupid to give them out for free.'

Wallen picked a booklet and handed it to Hex. "This is the one Baron reserved for you. Others have to pay at least a thousand coins just to rent a technique for a few days. You get to keep this one for free."

'Fuck. That much coins?' Hex held the booklet with care. Only now he realized the worth of it. He had worked six years and still didn't save more than a hundred coins.

"The Bearhanded Sword."

Hex read the title of the book. He didn't know whether to laugh or not.

'I can't believe a technique exists that suits my specific needs. I guess I am not the first person to have a bear-like situation.'

Hex opened the technique and read the summary.

'As a Knight I never found a technique fitting to my strength and build. I am not a bear-like figure but I do have its strength, thanks to my superimposed Blessings. I decided to develop my own technique, combining my agility and strength into a sword technique.'

Hex felt admiration for the Knight who, for the sake of improvement, decided to develop his own sword technique. It showed his indomitable spirit.

'Thank you, senior. I will cherish this and keep it close to my heart. Plus it's my first technique.'

Hex turned to look at Wallen. There were a couple things he needed to train in the technique.

"Where should I train? On the castle ground? And more importantly, where is my sword?"

Hex had left his sword in the slum. When he asked Wallen during the tour, he was told the servants would pick it up for him.

"You can train in the training camp behind the castle. They have weights and other machines. There are also swords there. Nothing special, but they will do the trick. Meanwhile I send a servant to retrieve your sword."

Hex thanked him and seeing that there was nothing more for him to do here, he decided to go directly to the training camp.

But Hex had forgotten one thing. Or rather one person. He bumped into her as he exited the backdoor.

"So, mister hotshot Squire doesn't want to work in fields?"

Hex smiled awkwardly as he saw Hestia watch him with her eyes narrowed.

"Sorry. I just overslept."

"Pftt," Hestia giggled when she saw he was fidgeting. "Don't sweat it. You finished more work than you were supposed to."

She noticed Hex holding a book.

"A technique?" Seeing Hex nod, she continued, "Can I see? Maybe I can help?"

Hex was pleasantly surprised. Hestia was a Knight. With her help he would need less time to understand the technique and have more time to actually practice.

"I happen to know this one," she laughed, as she held the book. "To train this thing you first need to understand your own starting position. We need to measure your body, your attributes and set up a schedule."

Hex kept nodding at her. She was right. No matter where you were, if you wished to move, your best plan of action was to have a grasp on your stats at the start.

He followed her inside a building. The first thing he saw was a big piece of equipment with bars and handles.

"Let's start."