Chapter 14 - Breakthrough!

7 September 2041 (Real Time) - Institute of Blades, Second Reality

Ever since the incident at The Gypsy's Lodge, Arron had been adamant about not having lunch outside. Since then, Arron and Darell had been buying fresh produce from the market instead, while Hunter was responsible for cooking.

"Dammit guys, for the last time the answer is no!" said Arron. "The tournament is coming up soon and the last thing my brother needs is a distraction."

Several days had passed and gossip about Hunter's interference in a fight between two peak stage Master blademasters had spread around the academy. There are still many skeptics surrounding the discussion of Hunter's ability with many still firm in their belief that these are purely speculation..

Arron and Darell were fortunate that Irene was also busy with her classes since she had not stopped nagging them to get Hunter to meet her. In this instance, Dwight Corbin and Ward Gilman were trying to persuade Arron to let them train with Hunter.

"Guys, chill out please! You do realize that my brother is training with principal Drayton right?" asked Arron, irritated by their insistence.

"That's true. Even if Hunter bro agreed to let us train with him, I'm not sure the principal would let us especially this close to the tournament." said a dejected Corbin.

Although Corbin and Gilman were both only a year older, Arron sometimes felt like he was the older brother with these two. Heaving a sigh of resignation, Arron looked up towards the door of the cottage as he heard the door creak open.

"Big bro!" shouted Darell. "We've got today's ingredients ready for you! Hurry up I'm hungry!"

"Dude, ever since Hunter bro showed up Darell talks so much more..." whispered Corbin as he and Gilman peeked at Darell from the corner of their eye.

"Leaving home and Hunter behind was one of the hardest things we have ever done as a family. We always avoided the topic since there was nothing we could have done that would have made a difference." said Arron softly. "Anyway, let's leave that story for another time and be grateful that Darell has recovered some of his liveliness."

Dinner discussion revolved around the tournament, which was a major event held every year in September. Since the arrival of the MediPods, the entire academy was in an uproar and all students and faculty clamored to use it. Under the current agreement, the students and teachers reaped the benefits of warped time.

It was a big advantage that the Institute was a good distance away from the city, otherwise Lara would not have been able to apply this cheat even if MediVance had given their approval.

"So a quick recap Hunter bro." said Gilman. "The tournament splits into fight brackets determined by level. Initiates are not allowed to take part in the tournament. The lowest level allowed for entry is Adept.

The tournament does not differentiate between early or late stages, so it can be disadvantageous for some and advantageous for others. After Adept the next brackets are Master and Grandmaster level. There are no Emperor or Saint level brackets because as you know, there aren't many of them." finished Gilman.

"This tournament will be different from the ones we've had in the past. Since we can resurrect here, all fights will use real blades." added Corbin. "I heard from the teachers that the reason they are doing it like this is to simulate real life and death battles without the permanent consequence of death."

The conversation continued past dinner with the Markell brothers asking more questions about the tournament rules and the favourites among the students. It wasn't long after that Hunter had to remind the other four that they needed to get back to the academy dorms.

Having the cottage to himself once again, Hunter began to meditate in the living room. Drawing pieces of his scattered mind together into one shell did not get any easier over time as he thought it would. His battle aura did not feel any different to this day.

The following lunch period, Hunter had a surprise visitor.

knock knock

Thinking that his brothers and their friends had arrived rather early, the one who greeted him at the door was instead Irene. 'How did she...' he couldn't finish his thought before Irene spoke.

"I'm sorry! I have been following your brothers and I noticed they always came to this cottage. Can I come in?" she asked.

'This girl... is a stalker...' he thought as he opened the door wider to let Irene in.

"I couldn't find you after that day. Have you been hiding here this whole time?" she asked, disbelief written all over her face.

"Ah, that. Haha! Well, my brother Arron was insistent we stayed here to avoid distractions before the tournament." he replied.

Irene turned pink. 'Did he just imply I'm a distraction?'

Of course, it was nothing more than a misunderstanding. It wasn't just because of Irene that Arron had decided this course of action. Their group and anyone else who were friends with Corbin and Gilman had heard a first hand retelling of the incident at the Gypsy. They were all brimming with curiosity about the oldest of the Markell siblings.

Before she could say anything further, five people came in through the door. Seeing Irene standing in the living room with Hunter, all five dropped their grocery bags as their jaw slackened before they pointed and yelled "Stalker!".

**********

The dining table wasn't large enough to accommodate all seven of them, so the brothers and Irene sat at the table while Foxwell, Corbin and Gilman sat on the sofa. They all ate lunch in silence. Arron and Darell kept sneaking looks at Irene and at their brother.

It was Irene who finally broke the silence. "Hunter." she said as she placed her cutlery down. Hunter looked up, his eyes asking her to continue.

"I wanted to thank you. Not just for your help at the Gypsy, but also for a good friend of mine." she said, looking into his eyes. "Her name is Elaine Kingston."

'Dude, Hunter bro is a major player! He's even got it in with a girl from another major family.' Corbin communicated his thoughts to Gilman by wiggling his eyebrows.

'I know right! If we stick around Hunter bro long enough perhaps even we will receive some blessings!' replied Gilman, his eyes watery. As if he understood exactly what is going on in the heads of these two, Foxwell could only heave a sigh as he watched them fantasize of the possibilities.

"Elaine." Hunter nodded. "I hope she is doing well. How long have you known her?"

"She is doing great, thanks to you." she said. Irene looked at Arron and Darell then back at Hunter, wondering if she should continue in their presence. Hunter nodded.

"In order for you to understand, I'll have to start from the beginning. The Davenport family has always been in the service of the Kingston family. Just like the Markells and the Draytons, most if not all who descended from the Kingston line study the Sword Arts.

This had changed over the years. Even though Kingston remains the biggest of the three, an increasing number of descendants have instead focused on being merchants. Elaine is not a practitioner and I was the one responsible for her safety that time. Had anything happened to her, I would have…” she shook her head.

“I owe you my life Hunter. Apart from my thanks, if ever you need an extra set of blades by your side I will be there."

Hunter understood from the conversations he had with Drayton that some of the smaller families were in the service of the great families. The only exception was his family line who chose not to follow the practice. The Draytons too have minor families that catered to their needs.

Irene wasn't wrong. If Hunter had not been there to prevent the rape of Elaine Kingston, Irene and perhaps even her family would have suffered serious consequences.

"I see." smiled Hunter. "I appreciate it Irene. Instead, I would like for you to keep an eye out for my little brothers in the future. If they ever need help I hope you can lend them a hand.". Irene smiled back and nodded her agreement.

"So... now that that's off my chest... how were you able to block a late stage Master blademaster?"

**********

It wasn't a surprise that Hunter was unable to answer the questions that Irene and the others fired at him. He only promised that he would ask Drayton his opinion, as he never learned these things from their father. Satisfied, they all left the conversation for another time and headed out to their afternoon classes.

The sun was at its peak and the cool sea breeze blew inland past the two individuals standing by the cliff side.

BANG! BANG BANG SHIIIINNNGGGG!

"Good! Good! Your speed has improved and your movements are a little bit more refined. Based on your skill and speed alone, you're already more than a match for peak stage Masters." said Drayton.

"Ah. About that Master. Dad never taught me how to tell the difference between the stages. My brother and his friends mentioned something about breaking through, what is that?"

"Hmph. Sometimes I forget you were taught by someone who never paid attention in class. It's no wonder you don't know, hell I doubt even your father knows." muttered Drayton.

"There are different ways to breakthrough to the next stage. The fastest way is to experience plenty of life threatening situations. Provided you survive, careful analysis of these experiences will yield more insight compared to pure meditation. When you meditate make sure you also look inwards to your own body.

A breakthrough in blade mastery is dependent on the level of understanding you have with any or all aspects related to the art. It could be physically related, technique related or aura related. It could be one or a combination of any two or all three.”

"So, what stage do you think I am at right now?" asked Hunter.

"I'll tell you if you can hit me, even if it's the smallest of cuts." said Drayton. His smile was not reflected in his eyes.

"Understood, Master." said Hunter before he pushed off the ground and attacked his teacher.

**********

As the days passed and the tournament drew closer, the mood around the academy vibrated with both tension and excitement. Stages began to pop up on the open fields with rows and columns of seating arranged in groups surrounding them. Colourful banners hung along the walls and buildings and makeshift stands were set up in preparation for food and drink merchants.

The current total population of the Institute and the immediate area around it is closer to 40,000. At any one time there are a total of 5,000 teachers, civilians and student users inside Second Reality with the remaining 35,000 as avatars. To accommodate the people that did not have access to MediPods, Drayton had asked MediVance to help them set up a live broadcast of Second Reality to the Real World.

Arron, Darell, Corbin, Foxwell and Gilman were all busy with their training. With the tournament date creeping ever so close, Drayton had increased the difficulty by several levels so that no one had any energy to socialize afterwards. If Drayton increased his class training by ten fold, he would increase Hunter's by twice that.

Drayton was not aware that Hunter was not restricted by some of the laws governing Second Reality. At first he had wanted to find out the limits of the young man’s capabilities but was shocked to find that he never seemed to grow tired at all! From then on, Drayton made it his personal goal to see Hunter collapse from fatigue.

It never happened. Regardless of the training intensity he imposed, Hunter exceeded his expectations. There were plenty of occasions when Drayton succumbed to his curiosity and nearly asked Hunter outright, but in the end he never did.

For Hunter, it was also a mixed blessing that Irene no longer went out of her way to find him. After that day when she visited, she was content that she was able to express her gratitude and had gone back to focusing on her own training. Almost a month had passed since he ventured out of the wilderness and back into the academy. Hunter came to accept that he could not rush his own meditation and so he paced his cultivation.

Since the conversation with Drayton about breaking through, he had tried to look deeper into himself each session. Although ones body belongs to oneself, it was strange to find that there are many things we take for granted as they happen without the need for thought. Having spent more time understanding himself, he found that he could make small adjustments that would affect his attack, defense and speed.

Forming a mental imagery of his attack patterns, footwork and defensive maneuvers, Hunter focused on visualizing the effects of his new found understanding. He held these images firm in his mind, replaying them over and over again each time he meditated.

**********

"Hey Arron what's going on with Hunter bro?" asked Foxwell.

"Yeah, even teacher is not letting us go and visit him these days." said Gilman.

"To be honest I don't know guys. I only know that if we set foot in that cottage teacher is going to rip us a new one." said Arron.

It had been a week since they last saw Hunter. Drayton had ordered the group to not seek Hunter unless they were looking to increase their training regime by another ten fold. Of the people that had formed a bond with Hunter, the only ones that were not worried in the slightest were his two brothers.

"Guys. Focus on your training for now. We have to take advantage of the training benefits here before we go back. Besides, aren’t you both also competing?" said Darell as he spoke in between mouthfuls of food.

"Darell’s right. Stop worrying about things none of us can do anything about. If you guys get kicked off the tournament early, you can only blame yourself." said Foxwell as he held a piece of lamb chop, waving it to emphasize his point.

A group of Adepts had been passing by at the time and one of them was wearing a pristine white shirt. With Foxwell waving his lamb chop around, dribs and drabs of mushroom gravy pattered the Adept's shirt.

"Son of a bitch!" yelled the Adept.

"Um. Oops." said Foxwell, a dumb look on his face. "Erm. I'm so sorry bro, I'm happy to get that cleaned for you..."

"You little shit, I'm about to meet someone important!" fumed the Adept.

"Hey man, he said he was sorry. It was an accident bro." said Corbin.

"Stay out of this short stock." said another Adept while the first continued his tirade.

"Oi. My bro already apologized to you and offered to clean it for you yet you're still mouthing off. Stop prattling on like a little bitch." said Arron as he stood up from his seat, facing off with the angry Adept.

"Markell." said the Adept eyes narrowing. "You lot were always barbarians.. a bunch of good for nothing.."

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence as Arron’s right hook came thundering across his jaw, breaking it. "The fuck did you say!?" he yelled. The situation exploded and Arron's group dragged the Adepts outside and gave them a thorough thrashing.

"Hey you brats! Stop!" yelled a guard. From the emblem on his uniform, he belonged to the Kingston house. Arron and his group stepped away from the Adepts who were now huddled against the outside wall of the establishment.

"Dirty ass Markell." spat the Adept.

In hearing the name, the woman with the guard walked closer. "I'm sorry, did he say you're a Markell?" she addressed Arron's group.

"Yes madam. My name is Arron Markell and this is my brother Darell."

"Do you have an older brother by any chance?" she asked. Arron was curious about the question but nodded an affirmative.

"I'd like a word with your brother Arron. Can you tell him for me that Leisha Kingston would like to speak to him?"

"Um. I'd love to but principal Drayton has forbidden any of us from seeking him out until after the tournament begins."

"Ah is that so. Then, please let him know at the earliest convenience. I'm sure we'll see each other again Arron." she smiled. Turning around to the group of Adepts, she said "I would appreciate it if you paid more respect to one of the great families. After all, it was our sacrifices not yours that kept this place alive."

Without a further word, Leisha Kingston and her guard left.

**********

During his morning session of meditation two days from the start of the tournament, Hunter gained additional insight. Although it had not been long since he started applying the things Drayton had taught him, he managed to progress by a small margin.

Through continuous visualization, he was able to replicate the 'perfect copy' of his imagery during his sparring sessions. He had impressed Drayton each session, exhibiting small but consistent improvements in both technique and form.

The afternoon sparring session began with little ceremony. During the month's training session, Drayton had increased the level of skill at which he wielded his sword against Hunter. It was a gradual increase meant to continue pushing his student to challenge greater heights.

'I am blessed to have such a student.' Drayton sighed. 'He may not have realized it, but for me to already be using a fifth of my power... this is beyond my wildest expectations for one so young.'

BANG! SHIINNGG! BANG BANG! SHICK!

"Impressive!" exclaimed Drayton. "You have done very well in your cultivation. Your movements are more refined. It may seem that these are small steps that you are taking but at higher levels of combat, these small things can be the difference between life and death."

Hunter smiled. Even though it had only been a month of sparring and meditation, he too saw the changes as he compared his past and present selves.

"It is thanks to you Master. Without your teachings I would not have been able to progress further. These insights which I have accumulated and applied would not have existed without your guidance." Hunter bowed.

Drayton smiled back. "Oh?" he said. A slight stinging sensation crept up on him. Checking the sleeve of his arm, he saw the cloth cut open. Upon closer inspection, a thin red line began to bloom underneath.

'He managed to cut me!?' thought a bewildered Drayton.

"Master, is everything okay?" asked Hunter, concern etched on his face. From the angle he stood at in relation to Drayon, Hunter couldn't see the shocked look on his master's face as he inspected his arm.

Overwhelming pride replaced shock and surprise. Drayton jerked his head towards Hunter's direction, his bright smile flashing white teeth.

"My boy! Congratulations! You did it!" exclaimed the ecstatic teacher as he ran towards Hunter, grabbing his shoulders.

It took a moment for Hunter to comprehend what his teacher was talking about. As realization dawned on him, his eyes widened and his grin reflected that of his master's. Posing to show off the cut that dripped blood, master and student laughed, their heads upturned to the sky.

"So Master, about my question before..." said Hunter, anticipation clear in his eyes.

"Ho ho! Yes I did promise you an answer didn't I?" said Drayton. He paused for several moments, eyes intent on his disciple.

"My boy. I Graham Drayton, Principal and Saint of the Institute of Blades, hereby entitle you... Grandmaster of Blades!"

**********

Author’s Notes

Congratulations Hunter. You’ve formally levelled up!

I had to rewrite day 1 of the tournament. It's harder than I expected. There are too many elements so I'm not sure I can write it as I truly want it to be. There's 1 more chapter before tournament day starts. You can expect a release tomorrow.

-Harven