Before Artania can leave the yard, a lean young adult Euronasian woman approaches from the gate. Her black hair is braided close, and a dark travel coat frames the sheathed blade at her hip.
Saira Venn
Brunna Coppervein, forgive the interruption. I watched your instruction from the road. May I request a supervised practice exchange with the silver-ranked adventurer?
Al remains near the fence, ears forward, while the practice dummies stand silent beneath the violet sky. Saira stops well beyond striking distance and rests one hand lightly beside her scabbard.
Brunna Coppervein
A respectful request, Saira Venn. We will keep the blades sheathed or blunted, and the lesson will concern footwork, guard, and restraint, never victory.
Saira Venn
That suits the way of the Sword. A victory over an unready opponent teaches vanity. A measured exchange teaches what the body reveals.
Brunna moves the markers into a wider circle and checks the packed earth for stones. She gestures toward Artania, then toward Saira, leaving the first choice of position open.
Brunna Coppervein
Artania, this is Saira Venn of Euronasia. If you accept, begin when ready, and remember that stopping cleanly is part of every good strike.
“I become formal in front of others because Brunna is technically, a high ranked guild member. I ask her using Master Brunna to address her, how she knows Saira?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Artania Nero Thornson
Master Brunna, if I may ask formally, how do you know Saira?
The question settles over the marked circle. Saira lowers her hand from her scabbard, while Brunna studies her with the familiarity of an old road remembered clearly.
Brunna Coppervein
Saira and I crossed blades years ago during a guild exchange with Euronasia. She was younger, proud, and already far too quick to mistake speed for wisdom.
Saira Venn
And Master Coppervein was the first opponent to defeat me without humiliating me. She taught me that restraint is not surrender.
Brunna gives Saira a sidelong look, though the corner of her mouth lifts. Al’s ears angle forward, attentive to the warmth beneath their formal words.
Brunna Coppervein
We have met at three guild trials since then, lad. Saira came to respect my instruction, and I came to trust her judgment with a blade.
Saira Venn
That trust is why I requested this exchange. I would learn how the silver-ranked adventurer carries himself before steel ever leaves its sheath.
“Master Brunna, how does someone from Euronasia know me? What have I done to earn recognition from that far away?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Artania Nero Thornson
Master Brunna, how does someone from Euronasia know me? What have I done to earn recognition from that far away?
Brunna Coppervein
Your name traveled with the Crown’s testimony, lad. The Burning Pass evidence, the rescued courier, and the Quiet Ledger conspiracy reached guilds beyond Arch.
Saira’s expression sharpens with respect. She steps into the circle but keeps her hands away from her sword, listening as carefully as a student before instruction.
Saira Venn
Euronasian sword schools value deeds carried without boasting. You protected witnesses, surrendered dangerous evidence properly, and earned silver rank through service rather than spectacle.
Brunna Coppervein
You also kept working afterward, lad. Market repairs, careful training, and preparation for the road told people you were building judgment, not merely collecting a title.
Saira Venn
That is why I recognize you. Not because you are famous, Artania, but because your conduct gives your name weight. I wanted to see whether the reports were true.
The violet light settles over the practice circle. Saira offers a formal bow, while Brunna’s approving glance confirms that recognition has arrived as respect, not empty renown.
“I blush profusely. And ask her a little too quickly to please raise her head. I just barely passed to become silver rank not that long ago. Before that I was only a few days a fresh adventurer. So I do not feel as if I have really earned renown.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Artania blushes profusely, the color rising across his face as Saira’s formal bow leaves him suddenly uncomfortable beneath the violet sky.
Artania Nero Thornson
Please, raise your head. I only barely passed into silver rank recently. Before that, I was a fresh adventurer for just a few days, so I do not feel I have truly earned renown.
Saira immediately straightens, her expression shifting from formal respect to careful consideration. Brunna watches quietly, allowing the Euronasian woman to answer.
Saira Venn
Then I will raise my head, Artania. But do not mistake recent rank for an absence of worth. Deeds do not become smaller because they happened quickly.
Saira Venn
You were new when danger found you, yet you protected couriers, witnesses, and evidence without claiming glory. That is not renown borrowed from a title. It is conduct already proven.
Brunna Coppervein
You need not feel famous, lad. Renown is what others call a trail of good choices after they have had time to notice it.
Saira Venn
Keep learning, keep serving, and let the years decide what your name means. For today, I recognize the adventurer standing before me, not some legend you pretend to be.
“I smile at her and Brunna stepping up to the practice area. I grab a practice sword with the look of an arming sword. Then with small flourish to try to impress my sparing partner I gather my magic and make a shield on my other arm.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Magic, rolled -1)
Artania smiles and steps into the marked circle. He takes up a blunted practice sword shaped like an arming sword, its balanced grip settling naturally in his hand.
With a small, deliberate flourish, he turns the practice blade through a neat arc. Blue-white magic gathers along his other arm and hardens into a translucent shield.
Saira Venn
A flourish before the guard? Bold, Artania. At least yours is controlled enough to announce confidence rather than conceal uncertainty.
The conjured shield gleams like moonlit ice, its rim traced with faint silver hooks. It settles firmly against his forearm without disrupting his stance or balance.
Brunna Coppervein
Good formation, lad. Sword forward, shield protecting your center, feet beneath you. Now remember that impressing a sparring partner ends when the lesson begins.
Saira Venn
I accept the display. I will answer with restraint, and I expect you to do the same. Let the first exchange reveal how that magic moves with you.
Saira raises her blunted practice blade and settles into a compact Euronasian guard. Brunna steps beyond the circle, while Al watches from the fence, ears alert.
“Okay, I think to myself, she has fought against Brunna of all people, so she must be strong. I have to give it my all, to show respect for Brunna’s teachings, and the time that this warrior has allowed me. I lunge forward, shield raised and give a controlled strike, hiding behind my shield till the last second.”
FAILURE (Legendary Melee Weapons, rolled -4)
“Okay, I think to myself, she has fought against Brunna of all people, so she must be strong. I have to give it my all, to show respect for Brunna’s teachings, and the time that this warrior has allowed me. I lunge forward, shield raised and give a controlled strike, hiding behind my shield till the last second.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Melee Weapons, rolled -1)
Artania Nero Thornson
She has fought Brunna, so she must be strong. I have to give this my all and honor Brunna’s teachings.
Artania lunges, shield raised high enough to hide his sword hand. He closes the distance behind its translucent rim, then snaps the blunted blade forward at Saira’s guarded center.
Saira Venn
A covered entry, then a committed line. Good. You made me answer instead of admire the shield.
Saira turns her blade across her body, but Artania’s controlled strike lands against her padded shoulder with a solid wooden thud. The impact jars his healing hand through the conjured shield.
Brunna Coppervein
The strike landed, lad. Your cost is real too. That hand is not ready to absorb force through a shield for long.
Saira Venn
Respect shown, Artania. You concealed the attack well, but your shield rose a breath too high. I saw the shoulder turn before the blade came.
Artania withdraws to his guard as the shield flickers at its rim. A sharp ache pulses through his hand, while Saira resets her stance and waits for the next exchange.
“I subtly shift, absorbing ambient magic, Full Healing, and reinforcing my strained hand. I am actually getting practical battle strength just from this spar. I give Saira a smile and lunge again. This time throwing a feint at her, then as I retreat I throw a blow at her just to test her reactions some more.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Melee Weapons, rolled +1)
Artania subtly draws ambient magic through the Magic Pouch. Blue-white warmth settles around his strained hand, restoring it and reinforcing the grip without draining his reserves.
The practical lesson remains in his body: shield, balance, timing, and recovery now connect more naturally. The ache fades as he resets his stance.
Artania gives Saira a small smile and lunges again, presenting the same covered entry while quietly changing the rhythm beneath it.
Saira Venn
A feint this time. Better. You want my guard to answer the threat you show.
Saira shifts to intercept the apparent attack. Artania withdraws sharply, then turns the retreat into a compact returning blow that taps her guarded ribs with a clean wooden thud.
Saira Venn
There. You tested my reaction and struck during the change of distance. Controlled, purposeful, and much harder to read.
Brunna Coppervein
Good work, lad. Your hand held, your healing supported the lesson, and your retreat became part of the attack instead of surrendering ground.
“I was shocked, at Brunna. I get distracted and ask her how she knew I used magic? I tried to hide it.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +3)
Artania Nero Thornson
Brunna, how did you know I used magic? I tried to hide it.
Artania lowers his practice blade, visibly startled. Saira eases her guard but remains attentive, while Brunna studies the faint silver shimmer lingering along the conjured shield.
Brunna Coppervein
Because you hid the spell from sight, lad, not from consequence. Your grip stopped trembling, the shield’s weight changed, and your breath found a rhythm no ordinary recovery gives.
Brunna Coppervein
You also drew power through the Magic Pouch. The air tightened around your hand, and the shield answered half a heartbeat before your muscles did.
Saira Venn
That was why your second exchange felt different. Your strength returned without the usual hesitation. It made your retreat sharper, but it also gave your secret a shape.
Brunna Coppervein
The useful news is this: your concealment was good enough to fool an inattentive opponent. I can teach you to hide the breath and timing as well as the glow.
Brunna taps two fingers against her ribs, then the ground between them. The next lesson is no longer only sword and shield, but masking magical recovery inside ordinary movement.
“I take up my weapon and shield, prepared to practice what Brunna just explained, and mimic what she speakers to me out loud.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Magic, rolled +0)
Artania takes up his custom arming sword and conjures the translucent shield again. He settles into Brunna’s stance, keeping his breath measured and his grip ordinary.
Artania Nero Thornson
Hide the spell from sight, not from consequence. Let the breath and timing remain ordinary, and let the shield answer with the movement.
He advances through the marked circle, drawing ambient magic through the Magic Pouch in a quiet current. The shield’s glow dulls beneath familiar footwork, while his sword guard remains steady.
Brunna Coppervein
Good, lad. Again, but let the recovery arrive inside the step. Do not pause to heal, and do not let the magic choose your rhythm.
Artania repeats the pattern aloud as he pivots, guards, and retreats. Warmth restores the hand beneath the motion, concealed by the same breath and timing as his ordinary defense.
Saira Venn
The magic is present, but the movement gives it no separate shape. Your concealment now belongs to the technique rather than interrupting it.
Brunna Coppervein
That is the lesson, lad. You practiced the words, carried them into the blade, and made recovery part of your guard. Hold there, then rest.
✓ Quest Accepted
Conclude the supervised practice exchange with Saira
“Alright, I learned so much in such a short amount of time. I am curious. Have you ever beaten Master Brunna? Also how strong am I in your eyes, Saira. I haven’t showed you everything I have but give me an impression.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -3)
Artania Nero Thornson
Saira, have you ever beaten Master Brunna? And how strong am I in your eyes? I have not shown you everything, but give me your impression.
Saira lowers her practice blade and considers him seriously. The concealed healing has left his hand warm and faintly numb, though his stance remains steady.
Saira Venn
No, not cleanly. I have taken points from her in exchanges, but Brunna defeated me whenever the lesson demanded a true finish. She taught me why.
Saira Venn
As for you, Artania, you are already dangerous in close combat. Your instincts, magic, and recovery make you stronger than most silver-ranked adventurers I have observed.
Saira Venn
But your strength is uneven. Your technique is excellent, your judgment is growing, and your reserves are remarkable. Your body still pays for power used carelessly.
Brunna Coppervein
That is a fair measure, lad. Talent brought you here, but control, endurance, and knowing when not to spend yourself will decide how far you go.
Saira Venn
My impression is this: you are not yet a master, but you are already someone masters must take seriously. Rest that hand before proving anything else tonight.
“I put the practice blade away, un-summon my shield, transforming it back into my inner reserve. And thank Saira for he most insightful, spar. I would love to fight her for real some time. I know she was holding way back one me. I could tell in how she saw every movement cleanly. She did not strike me even though o know she could have at any time.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Artania Nero Thornson
Saira, thank you for the insightful spar. I would love to fight you for real someday. I know you were holding back, and I could tell you saw every movement clearly. You could have struck me at any time, but chose not to.
Artania lowers the practice blade and returns it to the rack. The translucent shield dissolves from his arm into blue-white motes, flowing back into his inner reserve as the last shimmer fades.
Saira Venn
You read the exchange correctly. I held back because this was a lesson, not a contest, and because Brunna trusted me to respect your limits.
Saira Venn
When we fight in earnest, I will not give you openings out of courtesy. I will expect you to defend them, create your own, and stop cleanly when the exchange is done.
Brunna Coppervein
That is a worthy promise from both of you, lad. A real match can wait until your hand is fully rested and your judgment is ready for what Saira brings.
Saira Venn
Then I accept the future challenge, Artania. Train well, and when we meet again, bring more than ambition. Bring patience, timing, and the courage to let me test them.
Saira offers a formal bow once more, this time without distance between respect and invitation. Brunna gathers the practice weapons as violet evening settles over the quiet yard.
Have a real match with Saira
Quest Complete
Conclude the supervised practice exchange with Saira
Skill Upgrade: Lore Superb→Legendary