The Mech Touch

It didn't help that the Golden Cat maintained an invisible connection to her. Most Larkinsons were not strong enough to notice this, but expert pilots such as Jannzi could clearly sense the vast and growing network that tied every Larkinson together.

It was how the clan could always root out spies and recognize people who didn't belong in their company.

Though the so-called Larkinson Network was probably the most important element that enabled the Larkinson Clan to grow so rapidly and become so successful in a short amount of time, Jannzi had never put much thought on its potential risks.

Although the Golden Cat came across as an innocuous spirit that was friendly towards any Larkinson, this did not change the fact that she was created by Ves, a mech designer who she did not have a high opinion of. His habit of taking risks and making impulsive decisions that were driven by his emotions regularly had a tendency to backfire on him and his clan.

It would be bad if Jannzi was forced to regard Goldie as one of Ves' many failings.

There was nothing much she could do about it. Goldie enjoyed such broad adoration and support from the Larkinsons that she would be painted as an alarmist if she tried to warn everyone about the potential dangers of the Golden Cat.

The only conceivable solution she could come up with was to influence Goldie's positions by changing the collective opinions of enough clansmen.

If Goldie was not completely out of control, then she should abide by the will of most of the members of the Larkinson Clan.

"This will be an uphill battle." Jannzi acknowledged.

It was anything but easy to sway the opinions of the masses. She had tried and failed enough times to know the pains of becoming a contrarian in a clan that almost universally supported the patriarch.

Sure, there were enough members of the clan who held alternative views. The Purnesses for example were not exactly fans of all of the expeditions and battles that Ves tended to embark upon.

Yet no matter whether it was herself or the Purnesse Family, neither of them possessed the gravitas or reputation to appeal to the clansmen.

How could she protect her clansmen if they didn't even acknowledge the threats in their own midst?

If Jannzi wanted her clan to take her warnings seriously, she needed to gain enough respect to make her voice heard.

She already knew a good way to ensure that she would get taken seriously by everyone.

"Patriarch Reginald Cross might be the biggest danger to his own clan, but his power is undeniable."

Just like any mech pilot, Venerable Jannzi always wanted to get better at her job. People like here were never short of reasons to pursue greater strength.

She wanted to be able to defeat all of her opponents before they inflicted any serious damage.

In addition to that, she never wanted to bear the pain of losing her mech and battle partner.

Jannzi already recognized that greater strength would lead to greater influence in the clan.

Now that she recognized that the future of the Larkinson Clan might be more precarious than she thought, she became more determined to pursue greater strength.

She had a mission to fulfill, and to do that she needed to spend her time in a more productive manner.

"Just because I am on sick leave doesn't mean I have to sit around all day."

Venerable Jannzi could not bring herself to pilot a mech at this time. This was why she picked up the comm that she had stowed in a drawer and started to make arrangements.

Once she was done with making her calls, she spent a bit of time with Mercer before dropping him off at daycare.

She then proceeded to go down to one of the training halls where a lot of mech pilots and other servicemen were exercising.

Jannzi nodded at every greeting she received from the clansmen she was passing by. She did not stop until she entered a private training room that was dominated by a modest sparring ring.

Another woman was already present in the room.

"Jannzi."

"Ketis."

The two women greeted each other with their words and their force of wills.

The latter was considerably more confrontational as both women were unwilling to give in to each other.

Ketis Larkinson frowned. She had already changed into a slightly protective training outfit after receiving an odd request from Venerable Jannzi.

Though she was always up for a good fight, she was not in the mood to make a new enemy.

"I came here because you told me that you needed my help." Ketis said as she planted the sheathed tip of her Bloodsinger onto the floor of the sparring ring. "If this is about something else, then I don't want anything to do with it. I originally planned to spend my time on furthering the Samurai Project at this time. Tell me why I postponed my design session."

Jannzi decided to be direct.

"I want your help in training my swordsmanship." She said. "I have always been diligent in training my fighting skills, and I continued to practice and develop the systematic sword fighting skills that I have learned in the academy a long time ago. It wasn't until I fought a true strong opponent that I discovered that my skills are far from adequate enough to fend off threats at that level. I need to get better, but I don't think I can do it alone. The lessons I learned from the academy won't cut it anymore. I need to rebuild my swordsmanship from the ground up so that I can make my successor mech proud."

The swordmaster listened to Jannzi and nodded in understanding. Ketis could clearly sense that Jannzi was being sincere, though she probably withheld a lot of information.

That didn't matter too much. All Ketis needed to know was that Jannzi wanted to reinvent her swordsmanship.

The biggest question was how far the expert pilot was willing to go in order to become better at wielding her sword.

"Before we talk any further, I would like to assess your current swordmanship." Ketis spoke up. "Go to the changing room and gear yourself up for a spar. Make sure to pick up a sword and shield that closely matches the equipment that you will be fighting with once our Design Department completes your new expert mech."

Jannzi wordlessly nodded and did as instructed.

She came back with an outfit that was heavier and offered more protection. She deliberately chose it because it weighed her down to the extent that she moved as sluggishly as a defensive mech.

Since she already carried such a burden, she opted to pick up a fairly lighter combination of sword and tower shield.

"Are you comfortable with fighting with all of that gear?" Ketis asked with a touch of concern. "Fighting with your own body is different from fighting with your mech."

"I am not a stranger to fighting this way, though I never dedicated enough attention to this sort of practice. I am sure you will find out how competent I am by testing out my skills."

Ketis smirked. "Good suggestion."

The sheath of her Bloodsinger automatically separated after she transmitted a silent command.

At one point in time, the famed greatsword of the Larkinson Clan's only swordmaster went through a makeover that caused its blade to take on an ominous red shade.

Just looking at it would make most weaker-willed people feel as if their limbs were about to get cut by its sharp blade!

Though Jannzi's willpower was more than adequate enough to brush aside this effect, this did not cause her to lower her vigilance towards this powerful weapon.

"I am afraid I will not be able to show you the extent of my fighting skills." The expert pilot said. "The quality of our gear is too far apart. Your sword can cut right through my sword and shield."

Ketis smirked but shook her head. "That won't happen during this bout. I have no interest in bullying you with my equipment. My Bloodsinger will only cut when I command it to. Treat your sword and shield as if they are as tough as the equivalents of your old expert mech."

"Very well."

"Start!"

Just as Jannzi expected, Ketis wasted no time and immediately went on the offensive. Her strong physique, her light and inadequate protection and her exquisite skill meant that it was much more appropriate for the Swordmaiden to take the initiative.

Jannzi on the other hand planted her feet on the floor and braced her shield so that it could easily deflect the opening sword strike.

Clang!

Before Jannzi could even hope to launch a counterattack with her sword, Ketis had already spun away in one fluid motion.

Since it was stupid for Ketis to attack a heavily armored opponent from the front, she circled around and attempted to strike Jannzi from the rear.

The expert pilot was already turning around to meet the next attack with the edge of the tower shield.

At the same time, Jannzi was able to launch her own strike much faster, prompting Ketis to back off and approach at another angle.

This intensive exchange went on for a few minutes. Despite all of the calories that Ketis was burning due to her frequent motions, she enjoyed this exercise as Jannzi was always able to keep up with the assault.

As the two women struggled to land a solid hit on each other with their swords, another struggle took place on an invisible level.

Jannzi's protective force of will began to clash and grind against the unyielding sharpness exuded by her opponent.

Although both of their extraordinary aspects were roughly similar to each other, there were still a few important differences.

For one, Ketis was a swordmaster who excelled at personal combat. Her force of will resonated excellently with her Bloodsinger. The two almost seemed as one as the Bloodsinger swung and struck as if it was an extension of its wielder.

Venerable Jannzi on the other hand could only fight at her best when she was piloting a mech. It was a lot more awkward for her to find herself alone and without any support from a living and intelligent partner.

The practice equipment were made of dull lightweight alloys that felt quite foreign to her despite their familiar shapes and dimensions.

Though her excellent training and adequate combat experience quickly allowed her to grow familiar with them, that didn't help much in her attempt to retaliate against Ketis' attacks.

Once Ketis was satisfied with seeing how Jannzi was able to cope with fast-moving opponents, she abruptly changed her fighting approach.

The swordmaster seemed to gain a lot of mass and momentum. She began to move a lot more ponderously as she struck Jannzi head-on with slow but powerful strikes.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

Jannzi began to struggle in a different way as Ketis struck with overpowering blows that came at angles that were surprisingly tricky to block.

The expert pilot occasionally found her body reeling from the heavy impacts. She spent so much time on regaining her footing that she found herself unable to launch a single serious counterattack despite the fact that she was enduring fewer attacks than before!

As Ketis continued to escalate her attacks by slowly increasing the frequency and momentum of her greatsword strikes, Venerable Jannzi found that she was being oppressed on both a physical and spiritual level.

CLAAAANG!

It wasn't until Ketis struck Jannzi's sword in a heavy, two-handed upwards slash that the expert pilot's humiliation was complete.

Venerable Jannzi looked dully as her sword spun in the air before clattering onto the floor like a lost piece of equipment.

Silence fell as both combatants retracted their willpower and reined in their aggression.

Ketis did not look impressed. "I've learned enough about your swordsmanship."

"What is your verdict?"

"You suck."

"That… is to be expected." Jannzi said.

She had suffered from several handicaps that put her at a disadvantage, but she still took a hit to her ego. She shouldn't have succumbed so quickly.

"It's alright." Ketis said as she tried to offer the expert pilot an encouraging smile. "I can fix you, but not alone. I don't have much of an affinity in defensive sword styles, so I will have to bring over a Heavensworder that specializes in one. Is that alright?"

"I can accept that." Jannzi affirmed.

"Great! Our only condition is that you take our traditional swordsmanship seriously. We can turn you into a better fighter, but only if you adopt a systematic approach to swordfighting instead of learning our skills in an ad-hoc manner. Are you willing to commit to our ways?"

It took a moment for Jannzi to formulate her reply. She could sense that Ketis was being utterly serious about this issue.

"I am willing." Jannzi replied. "I have around a year to reform my swordsmanship. Please do the best you can to make me stronger. I want to do more than passively absorbing attacks with a shield by the time I can pilot an expert mech again."

She was willing to do anything in order to become a stronger guardian of the Larkinson Clan!

Embracing a foreign fighting tradition was but one of many prices she was willing to pay!