The sun was starting to set as Matthew and Phantom finished killing the boars in their section of the woods.

  ?Matthew stretched his arms toward the small, square log cabin ahead. "It's close to nightfall. I have a base not too far away from here we can go to. Home sweet home. I don't stay in the city; it's too busy for me."

  ?Phantom agreed instantly, thinking of a crowded city's noise. She followed him to his base of operations.

  ?"It's not much, but it's easy to build for temporary stays."

  ?Phantom tilted her head. "Temporary?"

  ?Matthew nodded. "I'm not from this region. I'm actually just here to assist with the boar outbreak. I'm still getting used to the common shortsword of this area; I'm used to a thinner blade called a katana. My base sword style works with most blade types, so I can hold my own, but I'm not at my normal capabilities. The blacksmiths in this region can't forge a decent katana or longsword, so I just use the local weapons."

  ?Phantom thought about the katana and the split-second way Matthew would re-sheath his sword after each strike. "So you said this style works with most sword types? How many can there even be?"

  ?Matthew waved his hand, beckoning her into the log base. It was a simple layout: a small bed in the corner, a chair off to the side, and the wall was adorned with various sheathed swords. The blades ranged from dark iron to polished silver, each hinting at a different culture and fighting philosophy.

  ?"Well, you have the basic shortsword we're carrying, and longer versions called longswords," he listed, walking across the room. "You have thinner blades like katanas, super thin swords called rapiers, and small daggers. Though I've never really used daggers. They are viewed as a theives weapon. Then on the other side of the scale there's the massive blade, roughly the size of an adult, called a greatsword."

  ?He paused, opening a supply chest. "Even though my style is meant for a sword, it also works with various polearms, like the glaive, halberts, and even a scythe. I've tried to make it work with greatswords and heavier weapons, but it takes a lot of strength. Those weapons are unforgiving; you can’t stop them mid-swing. You need to keep them moving using their own momentum to keep them propelled. I've never been able to make use it in a real battle, but if done right it doesn't leave an opening for the enemy." He tapped the largest hilt on the wall, emphasizing the power required.

  ?Phantom settled onto the chair, her eyes wide, having never realized just how many weapons existed.

  ?Matthew pulled out a sleeping bag and laid it out for her. "You can sleep on this tonight. I know it's not the best, but we can go to town soon for better supplies. But I must let you know: Once the boars are taken care of, I will leave to go back to my home region."

  ?She looked at the shabby rollout mat and sighed internally. Matthew climbed into his own bed. "You should get some rest while you can. As soon as the sun wakes me up, we will begin your lessons." Phantom reluctantly got into her bed and passed out almost immediately.

  ?

  ?In a different realm, a great war between two world nations was at its highest point. The eastern region of elves was at war with the western humans. They were at a stalemate on the main continent, neither side able to push the other back. That was before the black sand began to change the course of the war completely.

  ?Inside the elven kingdom, the head advisor ran up to his king. "Lord Aver, what do you want to do about this strange sand? Anyone who gets near it dies."

  ?The elven king squinted his eyes, his ancient patience wearing thin. "What do you mean they die? How exactly is sand killing every person from both sides? It is illogical!"

  ?The advisor looked at the floor, feeling a little embarrassed at the fact that sand was currently the reason for their downfall. "Well, sir. When anyone approaches the sand, these small spikes form and launch into them. Once inside whoever dares to get close enough, it literally cooks them from the inside out, using a weird dark purple fire. The bodies, still screaming, are reduced to ash. After the body is fully charred, the remnants quickly break down into more of that black sand, which gives it further reach to attack people, expanding its territory exponentially." Lord Aver's eyes went wide hearing the news. "Call our men back immediately! We need to know more about this sand before we lose too many lives to this insidious plague." The advisor bows before walking away, his face pale with dread.

  ?Around the same time at their enemies' kingdom, the human nobles pleaded with their king. "King Von, have we not lost enough men? The casualty reports are astronomical!"

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  ?The King stood up quickly before shouting at the knight. "Do you want me to have your head for questioning me? This is just some lousy sand! Surely some of your magic-users have spells that can cleanse it!"

  ?The head knight gritted his teeth, knowing the king won't change his mind. "Yes sir, we will bring more men and figure out a way. But your soldiers are refusing to advance, Your Majesty. Fear has taken hold." The knight turned and left, frustrated more than ever by his King's willful blindness to the supernatural threat.

  ?"Hey. Time to wake up. I'll step outside and wait for you. We will have a slow duel to warm up for the day before boar hunting." Matthew's voice was already near the door.

  ?Phantom half awake, dragged herself outside a few minutes later, stretching her back and yawning.

  ?"Glad to see you didn't fall back to sleep," Matthew chuckled. "Ready to get started?"

  ?Phantom just shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be."

  ?Matthew reminded her, partially afraid she could overwhelm him: "Now, remember, we will be going super slow so we can focus on the movements and the correct way to redirect an attack."

  ?Phantom drew her short sword and readied herself in front of him.

  ?"With this style," Matthew instructed, drawing his own blade, "you want to try to not give much resistance, but instead guide the attack to where you want it to go. Use the tip of the blade to steer attacks away and the side of the blade to reinforce the direction."

  ?Phantom took a slow, deliberate step forward and swung down in a large arc toward Matthew. He slowly raised his blade to intercept. Instead of blocking or stopping the attack, he put the point of his blade right on the side of Phantom's, slowly slid it over her sword, and started forcing it toward the ground beside him. As her blade passed his waist, he ceased pushing, spun around, and tapped her ribs with the handle of his sword.

  ?"See?" he explained, stepping back to reset the duel. "I moved your attack to the side, then spun away from it. Using that force from the spin, I can go for your side that is exposed. Try another attack, and we will continue in this fashion until you grasp the basics."

  ?Phantom felt foolish moving this slow. She dropped her shoulder down a little and prepared to thrust the sword out. As she slowly pushed the sword toward Matthew's chest, he used the tip of his own blade to push it gently off course as it glided down his edge. Once the tip of Phantom's sword passed him, he dropped slightly and swung his blade toward her stomach, stopping just before contact.

  ?Frustration boiled over. "This is stupid!" Phantom shouted, lowering her guard. "Anyone can think of a way to avoid an attack when we go this slow!"

  ?Matthew let out an annoyed sigh. "This is why I don't teach people my style. People always lack the patience to learn the basics." He walked over to a nearby tree, snapped off two limbs roughly the same size, and walked back. "Here. We will spar at normal speed with these."

  ?Phantom took the stick, confused. "So, we will spar at normal speed?"

  ?Matthew simply got into his stance and nodded.

  ?A smile crossed Phantom's face. Let's see him redirect my attack when I'm actually trying, she thought.

  ?With her resolve reinforced, she charged in, her stick-sword awkwardly angled out to the side, and made a horizontal slash. Matthew flipped effortlessly over the attack. As he went over, he used the side of his stick to angle her stick down toward the ground. As he landed, he put the stick to her neck.

  ?"One to nothing," he stated simply. "Remember, it's not about how fast or strong you are. It's more about how you use your weapon."

  ?Phantom nodded, still frustrated by the method, but relieved she didn't have to move like a snail.

  ?The time flew by as the two dueled. The sun was now high above them. Matthew, having just won another round, decided it was time for a break. "Thirty-three to nothing. Let's stop here for now; we still have boars to hunt after all."

  ?A sweaty and defeated Phantom threw her almost broken stick off to the side and nodded in agreement.

  ?Matthew let out a heavy sigh, catching Phantom's attention. "What is it, Matthew?"

  ?He stopped and looked up at the sky. "The more I think of it, there has to be a minotaur out here somewhere. The number of boars this town's guard has killed has far exceeded any normal pack. Minotaurs, as long as they have at least ten followers, will generate four more of that monster each night. If I'm right, we need to kill at least four boars a day before we start to actually make a difference. But something is off; usually, it's very easy to find a minotaur. They are large brutes that normally don't hide their presence."

  ?Phantom began to think. "A minotaur is the large human with a bull head, right?"

  ?Matthew smiled. "Yes, why do you ask?"

  ?"If it's part bull, what is it doing with boars?"

  ?Matthew shrugged. "Maybe it couldn't find better pawns, or it got kicked out of its original group, and that's why it's in this region now."

  ?"What are they weak to?" Phantom still asked curiously.

  ?Matthew thought for a second. "They are very tough creatures. Very strong, too. So usually fighting them head-on is a death wish. They are pretty slow and unbalanced, so you could use that to your advantage."

  ?Phantom absorbed the advice just before spotting a boar. Matthew gestured for her to be quiet and pointed for her to be the one to fight.

  ?Phantom stepped forward, drawing her sword. The boar turned, seeing the approaching human. It stamped its hoof and began pawing the ground. Phantom took a deep breath and got ready for the charge.

  ?Just as predicted, the boar lowered its head and charged.

  ?As the distance closed, Phantom flipped her sword around with the point of the sword pointing down and away from the boar. Matthew smiled, feeling she might be onto something. Just before the boar came into contact with her, she raised the sword back up, and with the point, forced the tusk of the boar down and away from her as she jumped.

  ?The boar's tusk stuck into the ground as Phantom twirled in the sky, coming back down with extra force, slicing the boar's head off.

  ?Matthew clapped. "That looked much better. You were still a little extra with the air show, but there is progress."

  ?Phantom smiled as she cut a part of the tusk off before sheathing her sword. Now it was Matthew's turn to be confused. Why did she take the tusk instead of some of the meat or something useful?