Bloodlines Of The Ancient Pantheons 338 Cccxxxviii. The Healing Lesson

He chuckled, distracting his new opponent, and in less than a second he drew both weapons, turning on himself and hitting Freydis's spear, which was unbalanced sideways.

"What happened? I thought we started!" he continued, trying to act tough. 

She repeatedly tried to hit him with a series of very fast attacks, followed by a sweep, towards his legs.

After the third time in a row that Dag managed to dodge that heavy blow, he put his foot on the spear and disarmed Freydis, sprinting behind her and pointing the blade of the axe at her throat.

"f.u.c.k...!" she said, as she caught her breath back.

"Your consecutive attacks are really fast and I a.s.sure you that I had some difficulty dodging and diverting them... but the last one... it was too predictable, you have to try something else" he whispered, speaking in a low voice in her ear.

"Like this?!" she exclaimed, hitting Dag with an elbow in the stomach and quickly grabbing her spear, returning to combat position.

"Ouch! Yes... this can be fine!" he commented, caught off guard.

Continuing to train with his girlfriend, Dag noted that her fighting style had not changed much over the years, and the mastery with which she carried out the attacks was always the same: every movement of the spear cut the air perfectly, giving it an exemplary elegance.

Within minutes, Freydis had already studied Dag's elusive movements, his strong point, which allowed him to dodge and deflect most of the attacks. 

Taking immediate advantage of his advice, she deftly adapted her attacks, risking several times to penetrate his defense, surprising him.

"You're incredibly versatile! It's a fundamental trait with which you can face any kind of enemy!" he exclaimed, dodging yet another lunge, followed by a slash that hit him in the ankles and knocked him to the ground.

"I'm a little rusty, but I still remember how to fight!" she said, satisfied that she was able to beat Dag as she helped him get up.

"Hahaha! I think we've missed something really interesting!" Karl shouted from afar, who along with Reidar, Gridd and Egill had arrived at that exact moment at the arena.

"It's not what it looks like... ouch!" Dag said, feeling a slight cramp under his leg as he got up, not getting enough warmed up before he started fighting in earnest.

When the newly arrived entered the fence, Freydis continued her training with Gridd, picking up where they had left off last time, while Egill and Karl decentralized slightly.

"Dag told me that you learned the lesser healing skill ill.u.s.trated at the end of the almanac..." the Master Of Healing said, verifying that that information was reliable.

"Yes, Master! I've never learned a skill before! But I wonder what... why didn't any runes appear on my body?" Karl asked, showing both arms to his interlocutor.

"Ehehe... patience, Karl, don't worry about it... this is absolutely normal. What you've learned is not a Clan skill, it's just a basic healer skill. Everyone can learn it, but its proper use requires a lot of practice and constant study. You know, healing is slightly different from combat, it requires perfect knowledge of theory. Only by increasing your culture and sharpening your intelligence, your healing will become effective and able to heal even deep wounds" Egill explained, clarifying his new student's doubts.

"Wow! Thanks for the explanation, Master Egill! I will work hard and not disappoint your expectations, I promise!" he replied enthusiastically and eager to begin.

Before walking away and starting his individual training, Dag stayed a few minutes watching his Master, curious to understand how he intended to instruct Karl, who at only sixteen years old, did not have the normal requirements to become a true healer.

"So, Karl. Healing is something that comes from the depths of our souls. It's like a flame, that instead of bringing chaos and destruction, regenerates the body, repairing tissues and drying the blood. As a result, in order to heal someone else, the spirit of the caster is needed to be strong and stable... only in this way the spell will be effective, regardless of its difficulty of execution" Egill began, who detached a small shrub from the ground and began to crumple it between his hand, rubbing its leaves and damaging its stem and severed roots.

He opened his hand, showing Karl the result of the pressure he had exerted and comparing that poor vegetable reduced in mush to a bleeding wound. 

With a slow gesture from his other hand, he simply pa.s.sed his palm over the small plant to activate a healing spell. 

Within seconds, the crumpled leaves resumed color and increased their volume, returning to their original form, as if nothing had ever happened.

Similarly, the stem of the plant straightened and its roots began to grow suddenly, partially twisting to Egill's fingers, as if that innocent living being consciously wanted to thank his benefactor.

"It's amazing! How did you do that? You didn't make any particular movement, you just moved your hand close to it! I've never seen anything like that!" Karl whispered, not believing his eyes, under the curious gaze of Dag and the others, all standing still looking at the scene.

"Yes, it is true, the most powerful skills that a healer can use require precise movements of the upper and lower limbs... but as I explained to you, the spirit is everything. While a warrior must strike the best balance between attack and defense, sometimes using anger as a means to achieve the best results, a healer must be able to remain calm even in the middle of a battle, in order to be valuable support in case of need. As powerful as an army may be, there will never be wars won without healers, remember that, Karl" Egill replied, while young Karl admired him, hanging from his lips.

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