Trying to keep up with her pace, we soon find a valley and at the bottom of it an abundance of poras bounce about.
"Oo, sure are a lot of them. Good for us.~ Okay, go get them Akira! Show them what you've got and if their bounces hurt too much, just chug one of your potions and you'll be A'okay.~"
"Y-Yeah, just go and-... what?"
Thinking she'd at least provide some pointers, it seems she's throwing me into the thick of things. And it may as well be into the jaws of a beast.
"Hehe, don't worry, you'll be fine! We all start off exterminating these cute things, but the good news is that they don't actually die. They're made up of essence from the land, once they're defeated, they simply return from whence they came. Then after a few days they'll reappear nice and bubbly."
"...Well, all right I guess..."
"Hehe, I'll be here for support if you need it! So show them what you've got! No holding back!"
Expressing with a thumb of approval, I charge down hill with the axe against my shoulder. Attempting to cut one down swiftly, the motion's a lot slower than anticipated as I strike the earth right after the pora bounces away and onto my face.
"Ahhhh!! What, I can't-!"
"Oh dear. Perhaps I should've mentioned using axes may be a teeny bit slower than you'd think without the axe proficiency skill. But you'd get the hang of it!"
"Now you tell me?! H-"
Feeling an unreal sensation enter through my mouth, I attempt to tear it off.
"That's the way! Tear that sucker off and give 'im a few good hits!"
Grasping the pora, though squishy, they're a lot more solid that expected. As the pressure increases, the force could literally tear my face off with it.
"Argghh!!"
Eventually with time, it loosens as I toss it against the ground and kick it like a ball into a crowd of other poras.
"Oo, I guess that works too. Nice kick! But you may need to perform a tactical retreat! They'll be after you!"
"D-Don't tell me..."
Forming a group, they turn to me as their beady eyes tells something fierce.
"Poras, though not known for their aggression, they do become so after they've been attacked."
Retrieving my axe, I sprint the other way as the bounces heard from behind become terrifying despite the soft sound.
"This is not what I had in mind!"
"Hehe, do your best, Akira! If things look dicey, I'll lend a hand.~"
"I think now's the time!!"
...
Thinning out the numbers one by one, I essentially used the axe like a spear with it's somewhat pointed end. It worked for a while until Rosette suggested for me to hold the axe out before twisting my body around.
Though her method of throwing me in without a clue on how to battle, I supposed it's sorta resembles the swimming instructors who'd toss kids into the pool and tell them to swim; despite not knowing how. A bit ruthless, but she said poras are about the weakest monster you'd encounter in Elden.
"Huff... I don't think I'll eat another jelly dessert for as long as I live."
With every pora slain, at small intervals a window would show that displayed my level, exp points; the amount I gained and in some cases item drops. Smaller items automatically fill attached pouches on your personnel, whilst larger ones will drop against the ground.
"Hehe, well I wouldn't say that.~ But, good work! I'll treat you to some pora pudding next time!"
Lying against the grassy slope, I take the time to rest up as Rosebelle kneels down beside me and offers a drink.
"Pudding, hmm... Though, I think my HP's at safe levels."
In a glass jar, a straw protrudes from the cork that keeps the liquid contained. The size is comparable to a small can of soft drink, though the appearance itself is rather bland.
"Nono, it's not for that, though it could be used as such. It recovers slower than potions however. Just think of this as a reward for your efforts."
Rosebelle mentioned that one should always be aware of their HP bar during skirmishes. If at any time it drops down to zero it results in death. It's not visible all the time, however, you're warned whenever it drops to dangerous levels; at about 10%, your vision will flash red momentarily. In order to see the current status of your HP; like with ones stats, you simply need to ask yourself; just a thought is enough once you're familiar with it. It all becomes second nature with time.
"Oh... Well, umm, thanks."
Accepting her offer, the taste somewhat resembles fruit punch. Just various fruits blended together, it's more refreshing than I thought. Tastes better than potions that's for sure, I can't stand bitter things.
"Ahh... Taste great, sure cleans the palate, thanks."
Finishing it all in one go, I pass it back to Rosebelle as she tosses the straw away before returning the glass jar back into her pouch. The moment the straw makes contact with the ground, it vanishes, leaving a small patch of ethereal shards.
"Right?~ It's not much, but it's definitely one of my favourites. With a special ingredient, the quality stays pure. Without it, it'd go off in just under a few hours."
"Hmm, I see. Well I guess you gotta find ways to keep the things you like to last as long as possible."
"Yup, though it doesn't last forever, it lasts just enough for me to be able to indulge it all. Hehe, I can give you the recipe if you'd like."
Taking a seat beside me, she takes out a piece of parchment and soon enough, text print out against it as she hands it over to me.
"Oh, thanks."
Accepting it, the text displays a list of items that are pretty much nonsense to me, at least for a few of them. I suppose that'd be the ingredients as the text directly below states the methods.
"I like it since it doesn't require too much work, just a few ingredients and an empty jar."
Staring at the blue skies above, the clouds slowly drift west as unrecognizable creatures fly overhead.
"You know, some day, I think you'd become something big."
"I think I'm happy with my current height."
"Not that you dummy."
Giggling at my form of joke, I guess what I did today was worth it if I could get a chuckle from her.
"It's just that, I have a feeling. You did well defeating 24 poras on your own."
Though it felt like hell, they may be jelly, but their sheer mass tackle would've surely left a bruise.
"Well I couldn't have done it without your help, that's for sure. I almost died twice near the end there."
"Hehe, if it was like that then I would've hopped in, but I'm glad it didn't come to that. With 24 down, that's about half way towards level 2 if I remember correctly."
Beneath ones name in their status window, it displays your level and total experience points.
"About there, 48 out of 100 it seems."
"All in a days work, a good day at that.~ With those potions and the equipment, you could level up by the end of the day."
"I suppose so... Though, I think I'm about done for the day. My HP's filled but I'm just flat out tired."
"It doesn't take into account of your energy reserves after all.~ But that's all right, it's good to take things a bit slower starting off. Being reckless would only get you killed."
I sure don't want to die a second time.
"Sure wouldn't want that."
Clutching my chest, the memory resurfaces as my muscles tense up. I don't want to feel that sort of pain again. But more importantly, I don't want to feel that helpless ever again.
"Mm, so is that a promise?"
Looking to me, she's usually cheerful; carrying a smile where ever she goes. But this is probably the second time I've seen her look so stern. How could I possibly say no to that?
"...Yeah, I promise. There's still so much of this world I'd like to learn. Plus, I don't think I'd get a third chance at life."
As I proclaim clearly through my heart, her cheerfulness returns through her smile.
"Hehe, good!"
...
Staring at my weapon, something about it didn't seem quite right. Although I've never had the opportunity to wield an axe back then, it's as though the entire thing becomes heavier whenever I attempt to swing it.
"I'm guessing it's a lot different than you imagined."
"Yeah, completely. Is it something to do with my parameters?"
"You most likely met the requirements, or else you wouldn't be able to wield it like you did. Like say, the Duskbringer for example, if you tried to hold that, you would've broke your wrist, or dislocated your shoulder."
"...That a fact? Thanks for the save..."
The Master really wanted me to injure myself, didn't he?
"Hehe, single handed axes like that are a lot different to shorts swords and long than you may think. They're generally slower to swing, but they pack more of a punch."
"I see... Well, we'll see how I go with this. Probably have to stick with what I've got for the weeks to come."
"Mm, that's the way.~ You don't know the true capabilities of a weapon if you don't take to time to familiarize yourself with it. The more you use it, the more likely you'll gain the proficiency skill on your next level up. If you stick with it, I'd say you'll obtain it by level 10."
"Level 10..."
Forming a firm grip against the handle, I've never quite familiarized myself with a weapon. So abruptly doing so now takes a toll against my body, using muscles that haven't quite been used prior to my time here.
Perhaps swinging against the trunk of a tree is in order for my next exercise.
"Hmm, if you don't mind, I could should you a few tips."
"Oh, really? That'd be a big help."
"Hehe, all right.~ There's a small process we need to fulfill beforehand. Hold your axe towards me, preferably horizontally so it doesn't look like you're threatening to chop off my head."
"...S-Sure..."
Way to be explicit...
"Like this?"
I hold it out to her as she then nods in acceptance.
"Mm, that's the way, now I'll just..."
Grasping against the handle, a window soon pops up.
「Rosebelle Lv.76 Hero Candidate」
Hand over ownership of "Broad Axe"?
『Accept』 『Decline』
"Okay, now just confirm in your mind that you're willing to pass ownership to me."
"All right..."
Thinking to myself, this worlds logic is rather complex in all honesty. As the ownership gets handed over to Rosebelle, I'm left wondering why that process is there to begin with.
"It's to ensure that weapons can't be stolen from other Heroes or Dwellers alike. Think of it as a safety precaution, the same goes for every other equipment there is, but items like potions and such are exempt."
"Hmm, I see... Guess it's kind of like ID locked phones and such."
"ID locked... I-I guess?"
As though I'm speaking an alien term, I realise that it could be unique to my world.
"Okay now, let's see what I can show you..."
Rising up, she loosens her shoulders and adjusts her grip against the handle numerous times.
"Hehe, I've actually haven't used much of anything else after I got the Dawnbringer from the Master."
Spinning it around in her grasp, she passes it from one hand to the other, perhaps to get acquainted with the difference in weight and shape.
"Well, even with a cheap axe, you still look like a professional warrior."
"There's actually an embarrassing story... N-Never mind."
"Oh a story? Please do tell!"
"N-No, I think not..."
"Aww, come on.~"
If there's one thing I can't let by, it'd be my curiosity for interesting stories on people I'm acquainted with.
"Okay, fine..."
Placing the axe down before her, she places her hands upon the heel.
With her cheeks flushed, I couldn't help but think how much cuter she looks when embarrassed.
"...It was a long time ago, I was hunting in the mountains near Helmsburg. That was when a stone Golem emerged from the face of the mountain and basically kicked my butt. I swung at it which was a terrible idea and broke my sword, so I then had to keep chugging a ton of MP potions to keep casting magic to take it down. It took the entire afternoon! The worse thing was that it didn't even have a fully developed core as a reward for my efforts!"
Getting riled up she lifts the axe and rests it against her shoulder, all while puffing her cheeks.
"Ehh... What's so embarrassing about that? ...Wait, you can use magic?"
"As a lesson I was stuck using an axe that I had no proficiency in! I couldn't even hunt monsters that I wanted to because it was so hard to familiarize myself with it! "
Holding her free hand out in front of her, as a breeze passes, bits of dirt and remnants of leaves spin in a circle just before her palm.
"I say magic, but it's only at novice grade. I rarely ever use it ever since that incident."
"Hmm, I see... Still, to be able to cast magic, I think that'd be pretty exciting."
"It is, though I only learnt it because Luel handed me a tome."
"A tome?"
"Yup, unlike other skills that are acquired via leveling, to learn magic you need to read tomes. As such, they're fairly expensive and the more potent ones are a rarity. Once read, the text vanishes from the pages and you're basically left with an empty book, so it's impossible for two to learn a spell from a single tome."
Well there goes my excitement for learning the arts.
"You don't usually see many who specialise only in magic, but the ones that do can conjure up potent spells. They're a force to be reckoned with. Anyways, we're getting a bit sidetracked."
Taking a few steps back, she takes a couple of practice swings against the air as I could already tell that wields it with ease compared to I.
"Hmm, so hold it like so and-"
Positioning the axe above her shoulder with a firm grip, her other hand extends in front of her as she makes a clean vertical slice in front of her as she brings it back up with a diagonal slash before swinging her body around and-
"Oh-"
She flings the axe like a projectile as it sinks into the ground a few meters away.
"Umm... was that-"
"..."
Her cheeks flush vermilion as she paces to retrieve it.
"I-If you have a spare weapon on hand, you could take opportunities to freely throw the axe then picking it back up later...~"
"I guess a switch in style could prove useful..."
Though at the moment it'd leave me totally open.
Taking a few more graceful swings, at some point it felt like she wielded it for years. Though seeing how she has a sword at her side, I do wonder want to see her in action with it.
Bringing the axe back to me, she returns the ownership as she then tells me to stand she could teach me a few stances; how to properly hold the axe and the correct posture to take.
"Hmm..."
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