Okay, it took me longer than I expected, but here it is, the next chapter.
Once again, I actually wanted to put this chapter and the next one together at first, but then I realised how long it actually was, so... change of plans.
This chapter will be specifically about Sinon's first lesson. The others get their turn in the next one.
This chapter is probably going to be pretty boring at the beginning. It includes a lot of ideas/theories I had about how the game mechanics might work. To be honest, I haven't read the LN, and most of the information I have is second-hand, so I'm really not sure how accurate these ideas are. In fact, I'm pretty sure some of them are not how the system is supposed to work.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online Re:Hollow Fragment or Sword Art Online in general.
Akinym stopped at a seemingly random spot on the barren, even ground. He gestured for Sinon to take position opposite of him.
Akinym: Okay, for starters, just try some simple swings, just to get a feeling for what the weapon feels like.
Sinon nodded quickly and started a series of short horizontal and diagonal swings with the dagger.
At first glance, her "practice attacks" were vigorous and precise, not sloppy or lackluster as Akinym had feared.
He took notice of her stance. She seemed to understand how she had to shift her weight in order to keep her balance.
However, Sinon seemed to focus on that alone. Her stance was extremely stiff. Apparently, she tried to move only her right arm. The rest of her body didn't seem to follow the movement.
For instance, when she swung her dagger from right to left, she hardly turned her upper body to the left, which made the movement look just unnatural. In the real world, she probably would've hurt her right shoulder if she had moved her arm like that.
On top of that, she held the dagger like a kitchen knife… If she attacked a monster like that, she'd probably lose her grip on the weapon instantly.
Akinym: Okay, that's enough for now.
Sinon stopped, and Akinym opened his menu to search for something in his inventory. After a few seconds, he chose a certain item and equipped it as a weapon. A spear materialised in his hands.
The shaft was about 1.3 metres long, the blade was about 10 centimetres long. The weapon looked kind of battered. The overall quality seemed pretty low.
Regardless of the state of this weapon, Akinym began to point out what Sinon could improve about her movements.
Akinym: First of all, that's not how you should hold a dagger. Try it like this!
Akinym put his right hand on the shaft directly next to the spearhead. He showed Sinon the way he held the spear so that she could imitate it.
During his days as an instructor, he had come across a few people who… had funny ideas as to how to hold their weapons.
To be fair, he couldn't expect people to know how to hold medieval weapons from the get-go. He had had issues at first, too. Regardless, he had figured that he should show his disciples how to improve in that respect, so he had memorised the basic stances for all major weapon types, which is why he knew what to do now despite not using a dagger himself.
Akinym: Furthermore, try to move more freely! I don't know your thought process, and it's good not to move too vigorously or frantically, but your body should flow with the movements. More like this.
Akinym tried to simulate Sinon's movements from before. It looked really awkward since a stick with a length of around one metre was coming out of his "dagger".
Nevertheless, it gave Sinon an idea as to how to improve her movements. She tried to copy Akinym. In the end, her movements still felt a bit off – kind of robotic – but they were a bit better than before.
Akinym: How is it?
Sinon eyed the dagger skeptically.
Sinon: It feels kinda wrong. I mean flailing… this around. I don't know, maybe it takes time to get used to it?
Akinym: It could be. At launch, many people felt uncomfortable with their weapons. This is not a normal RPG where you can easily distance yourself from your avatar normally. Anyway, pretty much all you can do about that is to keep practicing. That feeling will go away or it won't, I can't tell. Let's move on…
He thought about what to explain next.
Akinym: Okay, so you've seen that you can use your weapon… How should I put it? Normally. If you hit an enemy with the weapon, the system will calculate damage depending on how you hit it. You have to use your own abilities and techniques for that, which is okay. However, there is a system assistant that supports programmed techniques.
Sinon: You're talking about Sword Skills, right? I've heard people talking about them at the inn.
Akinym: Exactly. They are programmed sequences of attacks. If you use a Sword Skill, the system will move your body without any input from your side. It's actually possible to influence your movements a bit when using Sword Skills, but it takes a lot of practice.
Sinon: Um, what do you mean by that? [hesitantly] That… sounds a bit like my body would move on its own…
Akinym: That's actually pretty accurate. As I said, the system will take over and move your body.
Sinon [worriedly]: Doesn't that feel weird? I can't imagine this to feel comfortable…
Akinym: It takes time to get used to it, yes. However, it's not as bad as it may sound. Besides, in the heat of the battle, you'll hardly pay any attention to it. Sword Skills have their downsides, but they are precise and powerful attacks, and they let you use the advantages of the system better than regular attacks.
Akinym took a few steps back to make sure that there was enough distance between him and Sinon. He took the stance for Horizontal Spear, one of the simplest Sword Skills for spears. The spearhead began to glow.
Akinym: Sword Skills are activated by taking a particular stance, depending on the particular skill. When the Sword Skill is ready, your weapon will glow like this. Once it is ready, you'll unleash it by focusing on the skill and initiating the first movement like this!
At that exact moment, Akinym used the skill and swung his spear from left to right in one very fast movement.
After that, Akinym took his relaxed stance again.
Akinym: For starters, try one yourself! You should have the basic Sword Skill for daggers, Slash.
Akinym opened a database from his menu. He had worked on that database since SAO had launched. It was similar to the databases that info brokers used. In this database, Akinym had saved pretty much every last bit of information he had acquired over the course of these two years, including information on various Sword Skills.
Once he had found the entry about Slash, Akinym demonstrated the starting stance. He shifted slightly forward, bent his knees a little and lifted his weapon. He held it a bit higher than his head and pointed the weapon downwards at an angle of approximately twenty degrees.
Sinon: Um… What should I aim at?
Akinym: Nothing for now. You don't have to select a target. However, if you don't, you will just use the skill directly in front of you. That's not a problem right now. In this session, you'll only learn about the basic mechanics of VR fights and what they feel like in combat.
Sinon nodded and turned slightly to the right. She didn't know how far she would leap forward when using the skill – or what movements it involved at all. She wanted to be sure that she wouldn't hit Akinym accidentally.
Once she was ready, Sinon tried to take the stance Akinym showed her. She had to compare her stance to Akinym's a few times to adjust, but she found the correct position.
Sinon took a deep breath and unleashed Slash. She performed a single determined, diagonal slash while leaping slightly forward. Thanks to the system assistant, the attack was much more polished than any of her previous movements.
After using the skill, Sinon eyed her dagger contemplatively. Using the skill had felt less peculiar than she had feared.
Akinym: For future reference, each skill has a description that can be accessed from the skill window. There's also a description of the starting stance. You can get new Sword Skills by increasing the proficiency of your weapon skill. In other words: by using attacks. [looks over at the other girls] Practice swings are an easy and safe way to do that, although it's a bit inefficient. There are also quests that reward players with special Sword Skills.
Sinon decided to check out her skill window to search for the skill description. She found it rather easily.
Sinon [slightly insecurely]: Um, excuse me… There's something I'd like to ask.
Akinym signaled her to go ahead with a nod.
Sinon: This window says something about a "damage type". It says that this skill, Slash, is "Thrust" and "Slash". That… sounds a bit self-explanatory. What does that even mean?
Akinym: Um, right. [thinks for a moment] Okay, there are three damage types. Thrust, Slash and Blunt. Sword Skills have predetermined damage types, but the type of normal attacks depends on your weapon and how you hit your enemy. With daggers, hits with the knife point are Thrust, hits with the edge are Slash, and other hits are Blunt. Daggers are primarily Thrust and Slash weapons. You can deal Blunt damage with the dull edge, but it's extremely inefficient.
Sinon: And what's the difference between them?
Akinym: Monsters have individual strengths and weaknesses with respect to damage types. Using the right kind of attack is important. We'll go into that another time. Right now, I'd rather proceed with the current exercise. For that purpose…
Akinym checked his menu again. When he was done, a window appeared in front of Sinon. Akinym had sent her a request for a First Strike duel. She was a bit surprised.
Akinym: I want to show you a few things, but you'll need to be able to target and attack me. Accept the request!
Sinon felt slightly uncomfortable about this. Sure, it was just a duel for training purposes, but the thought of fighting someone in an environment where their lives were on the line… It brought back bad memories.
She tried her best to suppress them and pressed "Accept".
Akinym: Good. The first thing I'd like to show you is the system-assisted blocking. There is a skill called "Parry", which allows players to block attacks with the help of the system assistant. Similarly to attacks, you can also block attacks manually, but the success rate will depend solely on your own technique, while the Parry skill succeeds depending on system parameters. It depends on the circumstances which option is better. Regardless, it's the most common defense mechanism, so you absolutely need to know how to handle it.
He steadied his stance. However, he seemed overall calm and relaxed.
Akinym: Focus on me! The cursor should appear above my head. It's… a prism, a green, rotating prism that points downwards at me.
Sinon followed Akinym's instructions. When the cursor appeared, she nodded.
Akinym: Now take the stance for Slash! When you unleash it, the system assistant will recognise me as the target and ensure that it will hit me. I will block the attack, so you'll see what it feels like when your attacks are blocked.
Sinon got ready. She wasn't sure what to expect, but it could be interesting. It would be pretty encouraging if she actually landed that hit.
She had no idea if it would work, but she decided not to do this halfheartedly. Sinon started the attack with utmost determination, aiming for Akinym's throat.
For a moment, Akinym kept still, and Sinon genuinely began to think that she could hit him. The moment ended, and Akinym raised his spear at immense speed, blocking the attack without even breaking a sweat.
The parry was so sudden and unexpected that Sinon, who had hardly paid attention at this point anyway, didn't notice it until she had completely lost momentum and her weapon bounced off Akinym's spear.
Sinon tried to shift her weight to compensate the recoil, but her body didn't budge. She couldn't keep her balance, so she fell down while letting out a short shriek of surprise.
Akinym looked at her calmly.
Akinym: And that's what happens when you're not prepared for a block.
He reached out his hand and offered to help Sinon up, but she completely ignored the gesture and stood up on her own – quite grumpily. Akinym pulled his hand back and suppressed a sigh.
Akinym [thinks]: Fine with me. [says out loud] I suppose you've already figured out how to avoid falling? What position to take and how to react?
Sinon nodded hesitantly. She had a pretty good idea as to how to do better, but her body basically disobeying her was… astonishing.
Akinym: Good, we'll put that to the test. What you should know, however, is why you couldn't do that. You noticed the problem to late and the delay after the Sword Skill prevented you from doing anything.
Sinon [confused]: Delay?
Akinym [nods]: You see, one of the disadvantages of Sword Skills is that you can't move immediately after using them. Depending on the Sword Skill, it will take a few seconds until you can control your body again. To be honest, I don't know if the system-assisted attacks have been specifically designed that way or if it's just a technical issue.
Sinon [curiously]: What do you mean by "technical issue"?
Akinym: Well, I've never been a tech geek, so I'd say I don't understand it completely, but I met someone who figured that the following happens: The NerveGear gear constantly reads your brainwaves and relays that data to the central server. There, the data is processed and the according actions are calculated and performed. In other words: You move as you intend to – provided that it's possible. However, that process needs time, even if it's not much time. Normally, you think, take actions or sense your surroundings continuously, and the rest of the system has the same limitations as you, which makes this whole world feel... fluent, as if you experience everything in real-time.
Sinon listened carefully to this prolonged discourse about the system's technology. Similarly to Akinym, she wasn't sure if she fully comprehended everything, but she could follow the basic ideas.
She was curious if she would learn something valuable from this, something she could use in this world.
Akinym: Now, according to the theory I've heard, the system doesn't respond to commands – at least most commands – while you're performing a Sword Skill, and when you finish the skill, any command you give won't be processed by the server instantaneously, which feels like a momentary paralysis. Once again, I'm not sure if this is correct – or even if I remember it correctly. It could also have been something about the system needing a moment after a Sword Skill to become responsive again for similar, technological reasons. In the end, I'm almost sure that my explanation isn't the entire truth. It wouldn't explain why the delay is different for some Sword Skills. I've always liked to believe that Sword Skills were just designed that way to force players to use them thoughtfully.
Sinon: I see… [slightly determinedly] Either way, I'll keep that in mind from now on. [mutters, slightly exasperatedly] But to think that something like lags exist here. It's a bit scary…
Akinym [slightly reassuringly]: You shouldn't worry too much about it. It has been observed that the system has issues rendering the environment sometimes, but that has always been in densely populated areas, which probably take a toll on the system. You shouldn't have any issues in the field.
Well, that was good to know. Sinon actually caught herself breathing a sigh of relief.
Akinym: Anyway, we should get back to the actual topic, shouldn't we? You can't readjust your position immediately after using a Sword Skill, so you have to be prepared when using it. Movements you've started when using a Sword Skill will still be finished. Well, as long as the movement sequence allows it. For instance, you can use that to aim at certain spots. Or to keep your balance until you regain control over your body.
After finishing the explanation, Akinym took the same battle stance again.
Akinym: Try it!
Sinon got ready to use Slash again. It was time for the second attempt.
This time, she put more strength into the strike and shifted her weight forward a bit more to compensate the recoil from the parry.
However, that tactic backfired when Akinym didn't block the attack. Instead, he deflected the attack with a whirling motion of his spear.
Sinon was pushed to the right. Unable to do anything about it, she kept dashing forward, stumbled and fell to the ground again.
This time, she was back on her feet in no time – and furious.
Sinon: What was that?! This wasn't a parry!
Akinym: Quite the astute observation. I've deflected your attack, another useful defense pattern. You should keep it in mind.
Sinon [clenches her teeth]: T-this… And why did you do that?! I was prepared for a block this time, that caught me completely off guard!
Akinym: I'm glad that we're on the same page here. Now you know what happens if you're too confident. You can plan on a certain reaction, but you shouldn't expect your enemy to move exactly as you think. You should at least prepare for the more likely alternatives.
Upon hearing the explanation, Sinon calmed down a little. She was still annoyed, though.
Sinon: Couldn't you just tell me that?
Akinym: I could have. It wouldn't have the same impact, though. Lessons taught through words can be forgotten… or maybe not. This experience should help you to keep that lesson in mind. Do you think you'd make that mistake again anytime soon?
She wouldn't, so Akinym's "plan" worked. Sinon's mood didn't get any better, though. As far as she was concerned, she was here for training, not for mind games.
Akinym: Anyway, now that that's out of the way, we can continue with reacting to Parry. For real this time, you have my word.
Akinym got ready, but Sinon didn't move. She clicked her tongue in displeasure.
Sinon [suppressed angrily]: Is that some kind of game for you?
This reaction came unexpected. Akinym tilted his head to the side a little.
Akinym: I don't know what you're talking about, but despite technically being stuck in a game for two years, nothing is a game to me.
Sinon [upset]: Then take this seriously! I'm here because it was a chance to get stronger, so I can stand my ground here, but you're just playing with me, doing whatever you feel like! [frustrated] And you don't even break a sweat!
Akinym [annoyed]: What did you expect? I'm at a higher level, have better skills and equipment and – most of all – two whole years more experience.
Unknowingly, Akinym only made things worse.
In the end, Sinon knew that she was an absolute beginner, but she disliked the way Akinym seemed to rub it in her face. From her point of view, Akinym merely wanted to show her how weak she actually was.
The worst part about it: He seemed to be right.
In her frustration, Sinon quickly prepared and executed Slash again. Akinym parried the attack as planned. This time, Sinon at least managed to stay on her feet.
For a moment, they remained in the resulting position, crossing blades… kind of. Sinon pressed her knife against the shaft of Akinym's spear, which he had used to block her strike. She tried to push him back with all her might… to absolutely no avail.
Akinym [slightly strained]: That was better. Now the same with deflecting.
Sinon: Stop patronising me! I've told you to take this seriously!
Akinym, who really didn't want to continue the conversation like this, became irritated. He backed off slightly and bent his knees, getting ready to straighten himself and push her away.
As a consequence, Sinon bent a bit forward, but she did this carelessly and without readjusting her position to keep her balance. Therefore, her posture became instable.
Akinym managed to push her back easily. Sinon stumbled a few steps backward before coming to a halt.
Akinym [annoyed]: Will you expect the same from monsters? Don't worry! They won't "patronise you" or "not take you seriously". They will just kill you!
Sinon: I'm only doing this to prove that I'm not that fragile and helpless in the face of danger and fear!
With that, Sinon swung her knife at Akinym, this time without activating a Sword Skill. Akinym fended her off by deflecting the attack like the one earlier.
Sinon stumbled a few steps afterwards, but she kept her balance in the end. Akinym made a mental note that she was doing better the second time.
Akinym: But right now, you are absolutely helpless! Accept that! Otherwise, this won't lead anywhere. What are you even trying to do right now?! I could continue to fight halfheartedly like this and you wouldn't even manage to hit me.
To Sinon, this sounded like a taunt. She dashed at him and her dagger and his spear clashed again.
Sinon [angrily, frustrated]: I won't accept that I can't even do that!
Akinym: Fine! How about that: If you manage to hit me even once, you win, and I'll "take you seriously" as you wish. This is a duel, so go ahead. But if you can't do that, you will accept it and stop this nonsense!
Akinym pushed Sinon away again.
Sinon: Fine with me! I won't back down when facing a challenge!
She began a wild barrage of attacks, thrusting and swinging her dagger at Akinym vigorously. He dodged them fairly easily.
Akinym: Dodging… [jumps to the side to dodge a dagger swing] Also a very… [jumps backwards to dodge a dagger thrust] common method of defense.
After flailing her dagger around frantically nonstop for half a minute, Sinon was panting.
Sinon: You still… don't stop… do you?
Akinym was still fine. Unlike Sinon's frantic, over-the-top attacks, his movements were calm and precise.
Akinym: I like to make my training sessions efficient, so I've figured that I'll use this farce to continue the lesson.
Something snapped inside Sinon once again and she attacked with Slash. Akinym dodged even that attack by jumping out of the way – at remarkable speed this time.
Akinym: I told you that the system assistant ensures that Sword Skills hit the target, but there is an exception. If the target tries to dodge, the system assistant can make slight adjustments, but there's a limit to this. As a consequence, an agile target might still dodge. Whether that succeeds depends on your Dexterity and your target's evasiveness.
By now, Silica, Lisbeth and Leafa had noticed the commotion. They came running to see what exactly was going on. Needless to say, they were quite worried when they saw Sinon's state.
Lisbeth: Whoa, whoa, what the hell are you doing?!
Silica: Keep calm, please! You're overdoing this!
Leafa: She's right! Don't you think you're taking this too far, Akinym-san?!
Akinym was quite annoyed at the fact that the other girls thought this was his idea.
Akinym: Well, you're free to try to stop her! I certainly did!
Before anyone could say anything again, Sinon started her next attack.
Akinym deflected it, but he didn't take his stand-by stance again after that. Instead, he took the starting stance of Horizontal Spear and counterattacked.
He aimed at Sinon's shoulder. The attack wasn't critical. Akinym wanted it that way since a critical hit would've ended their First Strike duel.
Sinon tumbled a few steps backwards while clenching her shoulder.
Akinym: And that's what it feels like to be hit. By the way, the pain you're probably feeling is almost purely psychosomatic. There are safety systems that prevent you from feeling pain. However, humans know that this is not how it usually works, so your brain… basically tricks you. In an ideal situation, you'd merely feel an itching to signal that you were hit, and you'll probably get used to the sensation of getting hit in this world to the point where it feels as if someone has bumped into you.
Akinym's matter-of-fact explanation weirded the other girls out.
Lisbeth: Wait a moment, this is not the time for dry comments! What's even going on?!
Sinon ignored her and attacked again. This time, Akinym blocked her attack manually with the spearhead. After that, he swept her legs with the lower end of the shaft. While she fell to the ground, Akinym jumped backwards to a safe distance.
At this point, Leafa finally decided that this was going way too far, so she drew her weapon and dashed at Akinym.
Leafa: Stop that!
Akinym noticed her from the corner of his eye. He raised his spear to parry her blow.
The safety system kicked in and knocked Leafa back. She managed to keep her balance, but it startled her nonetheless.
Akinym: This is not your duel! Stay back!
Disregarding what Akinym actually tried to tell her, Leafa protested.
Leafa: I don't care! You can't call that teaching methods! She's a beginner, and a girl! You can't be so rough on her!
Akinym wanted to object, but Sinon beat him to the punch.
Sinon [panting, upset]: He's right… Leafa-san! Stay… out of… this!
Leafa [very confused]: H-huh?! W-why?!
Sinon stood up again. By now, she was staggering because of her exhaustion.
Sinon: If I had wanted someone else to fight for me, I would've stayed in my room!
Leafa was still confused, but also a bit intimidated. She backed away.
Once Leafa was at a safe distance, Sinon dashed at Akinym again. By now, he wasn't sure if her tenacity should impress or annoy him.
Either way, he deflected her attack again. This time, however, she didn't stumble away to the side. Rather than that, she tackled him.
Well, it was a fruitless endeavour since she simply wasn't strong enough to throw him off balance that way.
Was it fruitless, though? Sinon turned the dagger in her hand around so that its edge faced backwards. After that she pulled her arm back rapidly.
Akinym barely noticed this in time to raise his spear. In the end, he had to press the shaft against Sinon's wrist to stop her attack.
However, the edge of her dagger had already pierced his upper arm. It was a mere scratch in every sense of the word, and the damage this hit had caused was downright ridiculously low.
Nevertheless, Akinym stared at the dagger in amazement.
Akinym [hesitantly]: Interesting…
Sinon pushed Akinym back with her right elbow. Once she was free again, she attacked him again in an almost delirious state.
This time, Akinym ducked to dodge the attack. He jammed his spear between Sinon's neck and her right shoulder and swept her legs, this time with a kick.
After that, he spun his body and used this rotation as well as Sinon's own momentum to throw her over his back.
Once he let her go, Sinon crashed into the ground and rolled around the floor for one to two metres. She lost her grip on her dagger, which was flung away.
Leafa, who was closest to her at the moment, hurried to her to check on her.
Leafa: Sinon-san, are you okay?
This time, Sinon didn't protest. By now, she needed her help just to sit up.
Akinym didn't stay on his feet after that manoeuvre either. However, he stood up again quickly. Regaining his composure, he looked at Sinon and opened his menu.
Akinym: That's enough for now! We had a deal, so...
After pressing a few buttons, a window popped up, stating the winner of the duel: Sinon.
By now, Silica, Lisbeth and Leafa were completely puzzled. Since they missed the bet Akinym and Sinon had made, they had no idea why Akinym had just surrendered.
Akinym: We'll continue with the training! It's time for your duels.
No explanation from that side…
Sinon didn't say anything either. She was still in a daze because of what had just happened.
That's all for now. Hopefully, the next chapter shouldn't take too long.