Chapter 47: Chapter 47 – Hugh: Everybody was HEMA fighting

I followed Larry into the backyard. There were mats laid out on the ground, a stand that held a punching bag on a chain, a straw dummy that looked to be constructed around a wood frame, and a couple of round targets.

“Wow,” I said. “This is quite some setup.”

I didn’t know how much all of the equipment cost, but it must have been a lot.

“Yeah, I poured pretty much every dime of my high school jobs into my hobby, not to mention every birthday and Christmas.” He pointed at the targets. “Those are Amy’s though. She’s really into archery.”

“This is all really cool. Impressive.”

“I sometimes wonder if I shouldn’t have focused so narrowly on any one thing.” He shrugged, seeming regretful. “Amy told me what you bought at the store.”

“The toothbrush? Yeah. Good dental hygiene is important.”

Larry chuckled.

“New girlfriend,” I said. “It’s interesting. It’s good. I’m glad that I took the chance on her.”

“I can never find just the right moment.”

“I’m not sure a perfect moment exists. You just have to kind of go for it.” I paused. “So is Amy the subject of-”

“No! Just no. She and I go way too far back for there to be anything between us. It’s a different girl in the LARPing club.”

Now that I found surprising, though I wasn’t sure why. I guess I just equated LARPing with D&D taken to the next level, and my experience with that group was pretty much all guys plus the odd girlfriend that was dragged along.

I had to ask, though. “There’s more than one girl in the LARPing club? Really?”

“Oh yeah. More than half. The club was actually started a long time ago by people from the drama department. The vibe at events tends much more toward the stories and acting out characters instead of playing a fantasy game.”

That sounded like my ultimate nightmare, but whatever floated their respective boats.

“Anyway,” Larry said, “let’s get started with the basic question. What sword do you want to learn?”

“That’s a good question, and, honestly, though I’ve read about people in books fighting with them probably thousands of times, I literally have no idea. What do you suggest?”

“Depends. Are you envisioning fighting in full armor with a great sword or maybe with a shield?”

“I think I’m going for an agility build, I guess?”

“Agility build?”

“Yeah. When the litrpg apocalypse comes, I’m assuming I’ll be able to put stats wherever I want, right?”

He laughed. “Makes sense. Let’s see. Something like an arming sword? Light weight. It’s usually used with a shield. Well balanced. Lots of cutting and thrusting.”

“That sounds good. If I could make strength a dump stat, that would be helpful.”

He laughed again. “Man, you are really committed to preparing for the coming apocalypse, aren’t you?”

I shrugged. “I hope it’s not coming off as too weird?”

“Don’t worry about. I dig it.” He paused. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any arming swords, so our best bet would be to train with a longsword. Those are a bit longer and heavier, but that won’t hurt you too much at the start. If you truly commit to this, I recommend trying to buy a proper one later on.”

Larry disappeared inside the house for a moment and came back out carrying two items, one a shining metal sword and another one of the same basic size and shape but that was flat black. He held up the first. “Actual longsword that you can use only for practicing grips and basic moves without hitting anyone or anything, because, hey, sharp and expensive.” He then held up the second one. “Practice sword. If you swing it like a baseball bat, you can do some blunt damage, but it’s not going to cut anyone. And, it’s designed to be cheap, durable, and easily replaceable.”

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“Got it.” I met his eyes. “By the way, thank you so much for your time. Are you sure I can’t pay you something? I mean, I can’t afford a ton, but…”

“Hey, this is my way of giving back to the sport I love. It’s totally cool. If you stick around long enough to become a burden, I’ll let you know.” He grinned. “Hasn’t happened with anyone yet, though. Most either leave after a couple of sessions never to be seen again or they become sparring partners. Believe me, finding a good sparring partner is worth the effort.”

“I hope, then, that I make it that far, if only to pay you back for your kindness.” I laughed. “And, you know, so that I’ll be more likely to survive against all those goblins.”

It was refreshing to be so honest about my reasoning with this guy, even if we were both treating it like a joke.

After handing me the longsword, he went over the basics with me, starting with my grip. He had me get my hand positioned exactly the way he wanted me to and then took the weapon from me and made me grip it again. And again. And again.

Next, he showed me some basic moves – thrust, slash, and parry – and made me repeat them over and over against air, making sure that my grip and arm and hand movements and footwork were all perfect.

Or, you know, the closest approximation of perfect that I could achieve. That one point in agility definitely helped, but I had a long way to go before reaching superhuman levels.

He eventually called a break, and I wiped sweat off my forehead. It literally felt like my arm was about to fall off, and, though much more fun than riding an exercise bike, the constant movement was no less tiring. I was really looking forward to doing this again once I had put a few more points into agility and endurance.

Crap. I hadn’t even thought about that. What would happen if I did earn a few levels and was suddenly much more athletic? Ugh. He’d notice for sure. I’d have to think about that. Then again, I’d been stuck at Level 4 for a while now. Even with adding Julia, my leveling speed was likely to stay pretty low. Just adding one more point in each would make things easier for me without completely giving me away.

Larry was kind enough to bring me out a glass of ice water because I hadn’t even considered bringing a water bottle with me. I just wasn’t used to working out. I’d have to do better about that kind of thing in the future.

“What’s up with the house?” I asked after I’d caught my breath and sated my thirst. “You have roommates or what?”

I’d noticed a university parking sticker on the car in the driveway when I’d arrived, so that and his age placed him as a student. The house was a decent sized ranch that must have had at least three bedrooms. I assumed he was renting it.

“I’m not really looking for any,” he said. “Sorry.”

“Oh. No problem. My scholarship pays for the dorm and food on campus. I was just curious.”

“Ah. Doubly sorry, then. I’ve had several guys try to get me to rent them a room, but I like living alone.”

“Seems expensive,” I said.

“It’s my parents’ house. I grew up here. When I started school last year, they moved into a nicer place the next town over and let me live here until I graduate. After that, they’ll either sell it or rent it.”

“Nice. That’s a sweet deal.”

He shrugged. “I like it.”

After that, we got back to lessons, this time with the practice sword. The first strike against the straw dummy with the plastic or whatever the blade was made of was pretty neat. The tenth, not so much, especially as he made minor corrections each repetition and wouldn’t let me take it easy on any single one. I was glad when he called us done after fifty.

“So,” he said, “that’s how you learn how to fight with a sword. It’s a lot of work. Most guys think we’re going to step directly into the ring and start sparring, but that’s not going to come until I think you have enough experience and control not to either hurt me or to get hurt yourself.”

Larry looked at me expectantly.

“Hey, this is exactly what I need. You literally might be saving my life right now.”

He grinned. “I don’t know if you’re committed or if you should be committed, but I like your passion. Thursday, then?”

“Thursday.”

I walked away thinking that Larry the LARPer was a pretty good guy and an excellent teacher. He hadn’t lost his cool once, he clearly knew his stuff, and he was definitely passionate about helping people new to his hobby. If the apocalypse came, I couldn’t help but think that this guy was a resource that I would have to draw on.

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