World of Alvarra: Rise of the Vampire Lord

Chapter 175 Duran's Training

Van seemed to be standing on some sort of battlements, a large castle wall of some sort that gave him a nice view of the surrounding area. Forests and green plains as far as the eye could see with a few mountains in the distance. Turning, he saw a man in full armor, his helmet off, gazing into the distance.

"So... you have come to me..." the man then turned to look at Van with some slight disinterest... but at the same time... curiosity... "I suppose you are here to gain something from me, correct? Well then... how can I help you..." sounding like even he wasn't sure if he wanted to aid Van or not.

Van was taken a little aback by the man's attitude, but sensed no malice in his words or actions and so decided to explain why he was here. "I heard that you are a master swordsman and aura user. I have come in the hopes that you would be able to help teach me how to grow and control my aura, and maybe teach me a few other things if you are willing." speaking courteously, not wanting to make a bad impression.

From what he had heard from Van, they couldn't directly hurt him in any way, nor can he hurt them unless there were special circumstances involved. So trying to convince those he comes to for aid to help him out of their own free will was effectively the only way that he would ever learn anything from them.

The knight thought about it for a long while. To the point, Van was wondering if he would ever answer. The man then turned and walked away...

Van watched a little dumbfounded by this action.

But just as the knight was about to disappear from sight, he turned his head to look at Van, and then motioned with it towards the direction he was going, as if to say to follow him. After that, he stoically moved on.

Van was a little confused by this, but then quickly realized that the knight was about to disappear from view, and rushed to follow him. After a few minutes, he found himself in some sort of open field with a few boulders around and trees in the periphery of the clearing. The knight then turned to address him, arms crossed.

"Alright..." the man said slowly. "You can call me..." he thought about it for a while. "Duran..." tasting the word as if for the first time, as if unsure if he was happy with it or not.

"Before we begin... I want you to show me your skills..." He then looked around until his eyes landed on a boulder not so far off from the two of them. "That boulder... cut it..." and gave no further explanation or reason.

Van looked towards the boulder, then back to Duran. "You... want me to cut that boulder?" he asked unsure.

But Duran remained silent, giving neither a positive nor negative answer.

Van stood there for a while until the silence got uncomfortable. Uncertainly, he made his way towards the boulder and drew out his sword. Thinking there must be something more to it, he gave a mighty swing of his blade.

Only for it to clang loudly against the rock, making Van wince at the sound, fearful that he might have just dulled his blade. Worried, he turned to look at Duran, wondering if this was all within his expectations. But the knight didn't budge one inch and continued to stare and watch Van.

Van really didn't like doing things without reason. But decided to give it one more try anyway. This time, he planned to use his aura, encasing his blade with blue energy. But before he could bring his sword down, he was stopped.

"If you do that, you may be able to make a dent on the rock... but it would be at the cost of your blade..." Duran said disapprovingly. "And I'm pretty sure I asked you to cut the boulder, not just make marks in it..." his eyes bore holes into Van.