My Parasite Skill System

Basically, he'd have to do as I say for me to get what I want.

Although my laborious explanations weren't yet finished, probably–I still paused. Would he place a word in or two?

I waited for him to comment on that. That man's expression wasn't so unsettling and patronizing, as I spoke, but still–he'd obviously refused, right? Or at least not be okay with just anything I say.

Before long, he tilted his expressionless head to the side.

"You're bold. And interesting. … And I will. More than you may think. Do as you say."

"… More than I think?" I inquired.

"More than you think," he repeated.

"… oh, okay, sure."

Well. And this was that. I continued:

"So, where was I?... it's way more complicated, yes. In fact, I don't really think it is, but you're not helping is all. If you at least moved slowly, I'd learn from you, I'm sure.

"Well, but regardless of that … the coins over there," I pointed behind my back over my shoulder, "want me to toss in some more?"

"The coins over there, eh?"

"The coins over there, yeah. You didn't pick them; why? Want me to toss some more in? … I mean, I know for a fact that that's one of the many prerequisites for one to be taught at the guilds. Instructors like you are needing money, right; to live and whatnot…

"So, want me to give you more? I have more, but I hardly know what're the prices around here."

The instructor didn't seem to understand why I should give him coins. His indifferent and detached facial expression indicated that to me. Coins–and what for?

He didn't speak a word and only looked blatantly at me.

"Coins!" I cried. "Yes, coins."

But he stood unchanged. Seeing that, I thrust my hand within my pocket, got a handful of copper coins, and tossed them in a grand movement behind my back.

They flew behind me, disorganized, and landed each a different spot.

"Coins!" I cried again. "Heh~, and dare you say I'm weird, now. You're the real weirdo, here, ha."

After I tossed the coins, I got up at once. He had received his payment for the session, so he must help me, now, doing as I say.

My sword was to be picked up. Standing up, I flung it up by the handle and got the blade on my shoulder, carefully.

The swordsman sat still, his eyes went up and met with mine. "Not yet, though, you mean to say."

"Pardon me?"

"My guild–and your guild, too–you aren't part of it yet, is what you mean to say, youth."

"Not ever."

"Not yet–and okay, as the guild master, I will help you out in your search of skill."

And so he spoke!

"Skill," he added, repeating, after a brief pause, still expressionless.

He would help me out in my search for skills.

He was an instructor, after all, I knew it. Instructor did that, helping the apprentices get the abilities, heh. They sit in their quarters and teach whoever comes to them with lots of coins.

He was an instructor and simply did what other instructors did, at the time.

Being a bit excited, I kept fidgeting and wiggling in place, looking straight at him with burning passion in my eyes.

The swordsman faced me and clearly was unsettled by the intense look I gave him. Dryly chuckling–he disappeared again.

He'd done that not too long ago; I didn't even blink when he reappeared behind me and whacked the top of my head with the flat of his sword again. "Those eyes," he said, "you keep 'em to yourself."

Why was I so motivated? Well, first off, it sounded fun, now that I thought about it. Real, real fun, this whole affair was.

And as a second point, "'That' skill! This the one I want, yes. That skill you use to block me, and 'bam!' me within a blink, each time!"

<Blade Protection> was the name. He explained and illustrated to me what the principle of this skill was. That skill–it wasn't about evading, and it wasn't about blocking–but it still wasn't defensive.

What was it supposed to be about then, offensive?–I like offenses.

Only partly, the swordsman said. The skill consisted in absorbing the enemy's attack power, at any given moment, when actually making use of the skill, and firing it all back to the opponent!

I nodded, nodded, and nodded some more.

When I asked so many times, he made a show of it.

But, "Meh, don't look so cool now."

What did I expect, though, he laughed. Could he even make a show of that skill all alone? Those movements he just performed; they were the foundation of the skill.

He supposed I knew how it all worked already, though. How it all worked together, I asked? He developed by explaining what already had been taught to me at the Institution.

That was to say, how (most) skills had already all been premade in a first time for them to even be 'skills to be taught' or learned. Sequences and orders of different actions, involving different muscles, manipulations of mana, and stuff, that would lead to the producing of a certain specific skill.

I stopped him saying I knew all that already, yes. We knew that. And those were just about the details of the big pictures. I understood where they came from, the human skills (which you seem to always learn if you're not me), and didn't care much about the rest of their history or context.

"I know you can't, and still, 'meh!' I repeat again!" I asserted. "And you may be showing all this to me very slowly, but what's the point if I don't participate myself?"

That was what I asked for, though. I was pretty damn sure I could learn about anything by just looking and reproducing on my own.

It's true I said that. Owning up to my words a little, I asked him to show me again; when he did, I tried moving like himself on my own … "Not working! Honest!" I shrugged, letting my sword fall by my side.

"Will you at least try?"

And I shook my head. "You have to show me when I work–or dance, you love to say dance!–with you. … That, or nothing."

"You're the one in 'dire'!" he put emphasis on that, "in dire help from me. … Hah~. Come over here and face me."

I did as he asked.

And we practiced some more time.

He and I, facing ourselves, played it out like this:

First, it was his turn–I attacked; using the most regular and slow blow ever, in a damn boring way; he met my sword with his, and used his skill, very slowly as I observed.

My sword touched his.. A bluish-white film of magical energy was formed, like a mesmerizingly formed, of the thinnest, tissue of cobwebs, going from the very tip of his sword, falling back onto the whole of his blade and my surroundings.