How to Fight with a Sword: Who knew Cutting Cake with a Sword was a Thing?

"What are we doing here again?" Loki asked Daphne.

Daphne had quickly grabbed some food from the cafeteria before proceeding to drag Loki to one of the training fields that were more secluded. "So that I can teach you how to use a weapon, obviously!" She pulled out a beautiful ivory sword that was gilded with gold. "This is my sword, Elegans."

"You named your sword?" Loki asked, surprised.

"You don't have to, but most people with a weapon that's important to them would name them. I named mine Elegans because it means 'elegant' in Latin. Fitting, don't you agree?"

Loki smiled. "Yeah, it's just like you."

"Aww, you think I'm elegant!"

"Don't let it get to you head," Loki sighed. "So, are you going to teach me how to use a sword?"

"Yep! That's what I'm here for, to teach you how to use a sword." She tossed him his basic sword from Combat class as she pulled out her own basic sword.

"What? Not letting me try your special sword?" Loki teased. "First, it's Elegans, and second, this is only for the pros," Daphne laughed. "What a bummer," Loki fake-complained. "Tell you what, you manage to master how to use a sword, I'll lend Elegans to you to use."

[Combat quest: Learn a basic sword position: +20 Xp]

Loki was staring into the screen when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey," Daphne said gently. "Is it your sort-of Ability?"

"Yeah," Loki admitted.

"Maybe I can help? Talking helps sometimes."

Loki thought for a moment before saying, "Hypothetically speaking, if somehow you got something that you believed to be an Ability, and that Ability has never been heard of, what would you do?"

Daphne looked slightly surprised, but answered, "Well, I would keep it a secret for awhile, and figure out what's going on alone incase scientist or the government wants to capture me to experiment on me. But if the Ability was hurting me, I would tell someone I could trust what's going on."

"But what happens if everything is fine, but I-" Loki caught himself and quickly corrected it. "But you feel like telling someone that you think you can trust, but you're not sure if you can fully trust them?

Daphne either missed or didn't comment on his slip up. "I would think for a moment, if I could really trust that person, or those people, with my secret."

Loki nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll think about what you said." Loki shook his head to clear it. "In the meantime, aren't you supposed to teach me how to use a sword?"

Daphne smiled and nodded. "Right! First of all, you need to hold your sword like this." She adjusted Loki's grip on the sword. "Yes, like that."

"Now," she said. "I'll show you the most basic standing position. First of all, keep your legs spread about the width of your shoulders, one slightly forward and the other one behind you. and bend them slightly." She demonstrated what she meant. "This is good for both offense and defense. If someone charges at you from the front, you move the foot that's in front of you behind. If someone attacks you from behind, put weight on one of your feet and spin around like so," she said, spinning around gracefully. "If you want to attack someone, just charge forward. You try it."

Loki tried to do as Daphne said. He stumbled at first but managed to find his balance. "Good job! Now try charging at me!" Daphne encouraged.

Loki practiced all afternoon with Daphne. When he finally got the hang of it, his screen lit up.

[Combat Quest completed: +20 Xp]

[You have Leveled Up]

[You are Level 3]

[15/100 Xp]

[Hp: 15/15]

[You have unlocked Combat: Blade Skills]

[Blade Skill: 1/10]

[Inspect has Leveled Up]

[You have earned 20 extra credits]

[20 credits have been added to 30 credits in Inventory]

[50 credits in Inventory]

[You have obtained a Ashel Silver Sword]

[AS sword is a Beast Weapon: Level 2]

'I would like to add the sword to my Inventory,' Loki thought.

[Basic Sword has been added to Inventory]

[26 spaces left in Inventory]

[You have obtained a stat point]

[Where would you like to add your stat point?]

'I would like to save my stat point please.'

[Stat point have been saved]

Loki looked up at a sound of clinking plates. Daphne was setting up a plate of chocolate cake.

"Where did you get that? Surely the cafeteria didn't provide that for free," Loki asked, surprised. "Considering the crappy food they serve."

"Nope. I had to pay for it, but that doesn't matter," Daphne smiled, puling out another two plates, two forks, two cups and a bottle of lemonade.

"How are you going to cut it?" Loki looked in the basket she had brought, rummaging around for a cake knife.

"What are you doing?!" Loki exclaimed when he saw Daphne raising Elegan over her head.

"Cutting this cake!" She answered with a laugh as she brought down the sword, slicing the cake neatly. "See? It's a thing."

Getting over his shock, Loki laughed slightly as he took the plate of cake she handed him. "It is not a thing! Don't scare me like that!"

The two of them laughed as they chatted over cake and lemonade, while the familiar pair of opal eyes stared at them from afar, unseen and unnoticed by the two students, snapping some pictures of them, and slipping away into the darkness.