"Since your body needs a break, we can continue with the other part of the lesson," Ash speaks with a calm tone.
"What other part?" I ask.
"The difference between a Slayer and an ordinary swordsman," Ash answers.
I look toward Raven.
She seems interested as well, though she probably already knows the answer.
Ash plants her wooden sword into the ground.
"An ordinary swordsman learns techniques meant to fight enemies similar to themselves," Ash begins. "Humans, demons, beasts, and anything else around the same size."
"Dragons aren’t the same size," I say.
"Not usually," Raven chimes in.
Ash nods.
"That changes everything. The distance, the strength behind their attacks, and the areas you need to target," Ash continues to speak.
She points toward my sword.
"During your first hunt, where did you attack?" Ash asks as she pauses for a moment.
"His chest and shoulders mostly," I answer.
"Because he was in a human form," Raven chimes in.
"Exactly," Ash replies. "That worked because he gave Kain a human form to target."
The dragon never fully transformed
He formed wings and scales, but his body remained close enough to a human shape that I could reach his chest and head.
I think I really was fast enough to keep him from switching to his actual form.
"If he transformed completely, what would I have done?" I ask.
"That depends on the dragon," Raven answers.
She picks up a stick and begins drawing something in the dirt. The rough shape resembles a large dragon with wings extended from its back.
"Most new Slayers make the mistake of attacking whatever is closest," Raven explains. "Usually the legs."
"That sounds reasonable," I reply.
"It isn’t always," Raven says with a serious tone now.
She circles one of the legs.
"Dragon limbs are made to support an enormous amount of weight. Their scales are often thickest around the legs and chest," She explains.
Ash crouches beside the drawing.
"The wings are different," She continues.
She draws a line through one of them.
"So attack the wings first?" I question.
"If you can reach them," Raven answers. "Damaging a wing limits movement and prevents escape."
Ash points toward the neck.
"After that, the throat is one of the best targets," Ash advises.
"Isn’t that obvious?" I ask.
"It is also heavily protected," Ash replies. "Knowing the weakness doesn’t mean reaching it is easy."
It all makes sense. They have big bodies and if they can move just as fast in a human form... It must be harder in dragon form to land a hit.
This is all useful information.
Raven adds several marks near the dragon’s head.
"The eyes are useful if you’re trying to create an opening. A blind dragon is still dangerous, but it becomes easier to approach," Raven explains.
"What about the heart?" I question.
Ash glances toward me.
"The heart isn’t really an easy target, plus that requires breaking through the scales all around it." Ash begins to answer. "Not only that, but no dragon will let you get an attack off like that."
"Good to know for the future," I reply quietly.
"Different dragon species have different anatomy," Raven explains. "Some have a heart near the center of the chest. Others have more than one."
"More than one heart?" I question with a bit of a shocked tone.
Raven nods.
"The larger breeds can have two or even three," Raven responds.
If I drove a sword into the wrong place and assumed the dragon was dead, it could kill me before I realized my mistake. I’m glad I am learning more about the weaknesses and anatomy of dragons.
"So how do we know?" I ask.
"Experience, records, and sometimes luck," Raven answers honestly.
Ash stands back up.
"That’s why Slayers share information," Ash speaks up again.
She gestures toward Raven.
"If she encounters a dragon with an unusual weakness, she reports it to the guild. That information can save the next Slayer who fights the same species," Ash explains.
"The guild keeps records on dragons?" I question.
"Thousands of them," Raven replies.
At least I know where to gather information about dragons now. I’ll definitely need to find a guild to get some sort of book or list on them.
"Can I see those records?" I ask.
Raven smiles.
"Once we reach a guild, yes. It isn’t that difficult," Raven answers.
Ash looks slightly less pleased by that answer.
"You shouldn’t rely too heavily on records," Ash warns.
"Why not?" I question, now confused.
"Because dragons change," Ash answers.
She folds her arms.
I mean I already had a feeling that dragons could adapt to certain situations but that shouldn’t cause that drastic of a change.
Not enough to make the information completely unreliable.
Then again, the one I fought could speak and even seemed to be living some sort of life. It also means that they could be studying slayers as well.
Raven erases part of the drawing with her boot.
"Some dragons recognize stances," Raven says. "Others know which weapons Slayers commonly use. The older ones might have killed dozens of us."
"So they can predict how we fight," I say.
"Exactly," Raven answers instantly.
That makes creating my own stance feel even more important.
If a dragon knows how the Phoenix Stance works, it might know when Ash plans on closing the distance. Or me for that matter which makes this a bit more difficult.
That’s exactly why something new might be the smartest approach. They won’t be able to predict it as much.
Ash catches me staring at the wooden sword again.
"You’re thinking about your own stance again," She says.
"I am," I reply with a serious tone.
Raven laughs quietly.
"At least he’s consistent," Raven speaks with a bit of relief in her voice.
"I won’t try making it yet," I say before either of them can lecture me. "But if dragons can recognize existing styles, making my own would be useful."
Ash looks toward Raven for a moment.
Then back toward me.
"That is true," Ash admits. "But an unfinished stance is more dangerous to you than it is to the dragon."
"I understand. But this might be something I need to focus on as soon as possible then," I explain.
I stand after giving my legs enough time to rest.
"So what do I need before I can create one?" I ask while looking towards both of them.
Ash pulls her wooden sword from the ground.
"First, you learn the foundations. Then you learn what to your body is capable of," Ash responds with a calm look in her eyes.
She takes the Phoenix Stance again.
Raven places her hand on her sword.
"And after fighting enough dragons, you’ll learn what kind of Slayer you actually are," Ash continues.
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