“Yes, of course. Are you referring to Blessing of the Bear?”
“Yep! Would you mind reading off the deets?”
“If you mean details, no problem. Blessing of the Bear: Because you landed the killing blow on a Legendary creature, you have been given a special boon. When activated, this ability grows bone plates over existing armor. 80% of all incoming damage received is nullified. Ability absorbs up to 100% of total HP. Duration: 3 minutes. My, I must say this is a fine skill you have managed to acquire. It is exceedingly rare. Only a handful of players per year receive it, as the creature Marduk is not commonly spawned.”
“It does sound awesome. So how does this work?”
“I will set you up with a combat simulation, throw some evil denizens your way, and when you feel it is most appropriate, call out the command Blessing of the Bear verbally. True cerebral integration is not possible in the training room, so you must not rely on mental commands. Are you ready?”
“Absolutely.”
I stood in the middle of the training room and cleared my mind. As my nerves began to settle, I felt the familiar weight of my katana tug at my hip. I pulled free the simulated sword, and took a stance that balanced attack and defense, Chudan no Kamae.
Enemies began to run at me from the corners of the room, their pixilated forms condensing from thin air. This time, Elendil got creative. Some were the forms of ratkin, others squat trow goblins. A few taller trolls appeared and lumbered my way. This first wave was easy, the enemies sluggish, their attacks moving so slow I could easily sidestep them and shatter their forms with my sword.
After a few more minutes, Elendil asked me, “Ready for some advanced training, Hana? Or would you prefer slow and steady?”
“Bring it on,” was all I said before a row of new enemies rose from the floor.
They charged, this time with speed imbuing their movements. I dodged an attack from a sword-wielding ratkin and ducked under a heavy axe swung by an orc. I managed to take one of their numbers down by cutting through a leg as I rolled away, but their numbers quickly pushed me into the corner of the room. I was trapped.
I darted toward them, sword coming down in an overhead strike. Only one thing could turn the tables, and Elendil had known precisely what he was doing. “Blessing of the Bear!” I shouted as my sword crashed down into the head of one of the frontline fighters. As the enemy exploded into fragments of light, I felt rows of bone plating building out from my back and shoulders. It expanded, piece by piece, like some morbid mecha, running down my arms and legs. A few plates even crawled up the back of my neck and wrapped over my head, stopping just over my eyes, with the sides growing around my cheekbones.
The whole process took no more than a second, and it was just in time. Two swords and an axe crashed into me. I felt the force, but everything was muted by the bone armor.
“By Isildur’s Bane—that is so cool!” I screamed to myself, letting two more strikes hack away at me. Then I noticed an icon in my peripheral vision showing a suit of armor. The icon had turned from green to a light yellow. I had to get moving quickly.
I backpedaled away from the wild swing of the orc’s axe just in time to avoid another blow, then followed its retreat by slashing its throat. Another sword landed in my side, and rather than wait or move back, I pushed forward, cutting sideways through the ratkin’s belly. It too exploded in a shower of light.
I was left facing four more enemies. Suddenly, their silhouettes blazed with a blue light, and their movements sped up once more. They were a blur of motion, and though I blocked one, the other three connected. The icon dropped into an orange color. I was running out of time.
Then it dawned on me. This changed the game. If I faced so many enemies, the only way this skill could help is if I let it block for me. I needed to cut their numbers down, not act like this was a duel.
Another round of attacks flew at me, and rather than block, I counterattacked, running my blade through a trow’s chest, then spinning to hack off the head of a ratkin. My suit was in the red when I slashed through the neck of an orc, then brought my blade down through the head of another.
My bone armor shattered into pieces as a final blow landed on my back, but I swiveled on my heel and sheathed my katana in the ratkin’s chest. Like the others, it too broke apart and faded. I was left gasping, exhilarated, and so stoked to tell Madi all about my new ability. It wasn’t enough to make me into a tank, but at least I had a backup plan when things got bad, and I was sure I could step in to let her recover if needed.
“Okay, Elendil, now for something a lot more difficult. What do you know about fighting with two swords at once?” I caught my breath and felt the digital sword evaporate from my grip.
Elendil’s response was enthusiastic, the question seeming to inspire him. “Well that depends. Many players attempt to master a more European approach to fighting with two blades, mimicking the sword and dagger forms of the medieval era. Another less popular but highly effective style is the Espada y dada form of the Philippines, which embraces sword and dagger as well. Do you wish to utilize the katana along with the wakizashi you have recently acquired?”
“You got it. I get a killer bonus if I do
