“Minister Noa,” Olwen greeted, rising from the front pew. “They headed out without you already, thought you’d never arrive.”

“Who is ‘They’?” Noa panted out. That run in the heat was brutal. I need to invest in a horse, or invent the bike, he thought.

“High Prelate Caradec, Priest Armael, and Baron Eliaz, along with a squadron of the Baroness’ knights,” Olwen explained, then beckoned with two wrinkled hands. “I have something for you before you go.”

Noa followed the priest to his office. Sitting upon the desk was a silver four-pointed star amulet upon a folded white and blue sash. Olwen picked them up, and offered them to Noa.

“You can appoint an ardent with your bronze amulet, if you so wish, but wear the new one,” he said.

Noa nodded, trading the amulets out and pocketing the bronze one. “What’s the sash for?” he asked.

“Oh, that’s merely to go with your church clothes. Actually,” Olwen took the sash away, “You have a habit of losing clothes, best I keep this until church.”

“I’m not that bad!” Noa said.

Olwen gave him a suffering look. “I seem to recall hearing about a young ardent missing an entire pant leg after his most recent mission?”

“Oh, that... yeah...” Noa laughed nervously. It was only by Eliaz’s good graces that he received a new pair of pants. Granted, he had to hack off part of the legs to fit. “Maybe, I’ll just get going.” He turned for the door.

“Where to?” Olwen asked, his expression amused when Noa looked back at him.

“Good question... The burned apple farms?”

Olwen narrowed his eyes. “That was an excellent guess. Off with you.”

Noa smiled, making his way from the church.

The blackened earth of the old apple orchards truly was a sight to behold. Not much was left standing━charred stumps, farmhouse ruins, and burnt apples. Why was it always apples? Perhaps if his farm wasn’t raking in the cash, he’d have sold it for someone else to deal with.

“You’re late, kid,” Armael hissed, then dropped a small book in Noa’s hands.

“What’s this?”

“Spells for [Menders], [Comforters], and [Invigorators],” Armael said.

“What? There were spell books? I didn’t have to learn everything on my own?” Noa asked. Damn, I should have been reading in the library more!

“Of course there were,” Armael said, and grabbed Noa’s shoulder, pulling him towards the rest of the group. “Eliaz is already practicing on one of the knights.”

“Practicing?” Noa asked.

“Of course. You don’t really think you could stop an ogre from swinging at you without any practice, do you?”

“No,” Noa said, and looked at Eliaz, sword in hand as he sparred with one of the knights. Before he knew, Armael had stolen his right hand, and stuck the hilt of a sword in it. “Hey man, what are you doing?”

“Use your mind spells, kid. Prevent the soldier from wanting to attack you,” Armael said, and stepped away.

Blinking, Noa looked at the soldier━armored━standing in front of him. He was getting the distinct feeling that this exercise was meant to hurt. The knight charged.

“I can’t read and fight at the same time!” Noa yelled, jumping away and around a charred tree stump. The green-eyed knight swung at him over the stump, forcing Noa back.

Foot catching another stump, Noa fell back, and just as quickly scrambled to his feet to evade the approaching knight, but not before he felt his foe’s dull blade bludgeon his leg. Crashing to the ground, sword knocked from his hand, Noa winced, and pushed up to search for his weapon. Just as he reached for it, the knight’s foot came down on his hand.

Noa turned, looking back at the knight, the green-eyed soldier’s sword inches away from Noa’s face. The man smiled. “Having fun yet?” he asked.

“Seriously?” Noa narrowed his eyes. Fine, the sword wasn’t an option. He scrambled, opening the book Armael had given him, flipping to a random page.

Huh, [Telepathy]. Maybe that’ll do something? he thought. “I’ll have fun in a minute, I’m sure,” Noa said dryly. After a quick scan over the page and sharp tap of the knight’s cold steel on his cheek, he pulled a strand of aether. Looking back at the knight, he shot aether to his head, and pushed it past the physical barrier of skin and bone.

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Noa froze, feeling a connection? He could sense the knight’s consciousness, like a whisper of another voice within his own head. There were no words, just a hum. Now to project, Noa thought. What would get this man’s sword away from his face...?

“Did you just...” The knight asked, raising an eyebrow, “scream in my head?”

System [Lesser Telepathy] acquired.

System [Lesser Telepathy] level 1.

System Class [Comforter] acquired.

System Class [Comforter] level 1.

“I was sort of hoping to startle you away,” Noa said.

“You sounded like a little girl.” The knight shoved Noa with a foot, and released his hand. “Pick up your sword for a proper bashing.”

“And if I said no?”

“Have it your way,” the knight turned, Noa’s heart jumping out of his chest as that blade came swinging at him.

Finally grabbing his sword, he whipped it in front of his face, grunting as he barely blocked what would have been a painful blow. Yet, based on the pressure the knight applied, it was clear the man wasn’t even trying.

“You’re like a child,” the knight insulted.

“He is a child,” Armael said.

Grunting, Noa pushed the knight’s sword back, who caved far too easily, then he jumped away, building more space between him and his foe. “I’m old enough to drink!”

“I should hope so,” Armael said, “Most babies come from the womb with that particular ability.”

Miffed, Noa chucked the spellbook at his mentor. “Since you want to be so helpful, read me some damn spells!” The book fell short. Drats!

“Don’t get distracted!” Noa jumped, scrambling away from the knight’s swing. He pulled up his sword, Soldierboy batting it away with finesse, then stepped forward in a lunge.

Feeling the dull tip hit his shoulder, Noa was forced to take several steps backwards. Had this been a real battle, he’d have lost use of that shoulder entirely, and therefore, the rest of his sword arm. In other words, he’d be dead. For now, he was bruised, free hand supporting the spot.

“More offense,” Soldierboy instructed. “I have you on the run, and I know you’re weak.”

Why can’t I get a lesson without being berated? Noa thought.

“You need to learn [Lesser Soothe],” Armael said.

“How do I use it?” Noa asked, making a lame swing at the knight, who countered

“It’s self explanatory.”

“Is it?” Noa called, awkwardly jumping back from Soldierboy’s attack and then lunging. The knight stepped aside, letting Noa lunge into nothing, stumbling past Soldierboy while taking the flat of the man’s blade to his back. This required more stumbling to avoid faceplanting. “You are the worst mentor ever!”

“Am I now?”

“And patronizing!”

“Oh really?”

Noa spun around with his blade, the Soldierboy effortlessly knocking it right out of his hand with his own sword. Looking at where his sword landed, then to Soldierboy’s smirk, Noa ran. He didn’t even run for his sword, rather, he ran straight for Armael. He was going to need that book back after all.

“Curses, he’s so fast!” Soldierboy chased after.

Armael raised an eyebrow as Noa halted before him and ripped the book from his hands. Then Noa danced around his mentor to evade the knight, the priest looking entirely unconcerned about this. “If you hit me...” he warned Soldierboy.

Meanwhile, Noa flipped through the pages of the book. Soothe, soothe, soothe... he thought, glancing up at Soldierboy who sidestepped and swung past Armael. Noa jumped to the other side, just out of the man’s reach.

“Why are we even doing this here?” Noa asked, dodging a second time, Soldierboy growling.

“Leaving this place uninhabited, at least in the eyes of the ogres, would mean that they would move further to town. Better to have them think this spot is their new hunting grounds,” Armael explained, arms crossed. He yawned.

Yawned!

Curses, man!

Finally landing on the page, Noa yelped, feeling steel bear down on his left shoulder. He flopped to the ground, and pulled aether out, scrambling back from the quickly approaching knight.

“Couldn’t we have had a normal lesson for this?” Noa asked, and pulled out a strand of aether.

“Yes, but you need sword training as well. I thought I would combine the two. Besides, adrenaline has shown to help with spell learning. Sometimes,” Armael shrugged.

Noa huffed, Soldierboy reeling his sword back for a final blow. He shot aether into the man’s head, then took a deep breath. The book, in the brief sentences he scanned, said something along the lines of “invoking a sense of peace” with one’s own peace.

Be at peace, be at peace, be. At. Peace. He thought, starting to understand the real reason for this exercise. He was going to need to keep his cool to do this to an ogre.

System [Lesser Motivate] acquired.

System [Lesser Motivate] level 1.

What? Noa thought, blinking as the sword came flying towards him. He flinched away, dropping back just to dodge the swing. Somehow, that worked, but then came the knight’s backswing. There was nowhere left to go. He closed his eyes, bracing for an impending bruise, or worse.

“That’s enough,” Armael said, and Noa opened one eye when the swing didn’t come. His mentor had caught Soldierboy’s arm to stop him.

“You used the wrong spell, didn’t you?” Armael asked.

“Yes, he did,” Soldierboy said, sheathing his sword.

“How did you know?” Noa asked, pushing himself up.

“Because I felt more invigorated to finish the fight,” the knight answered.

“Thank you, Kan, you’re excused,” Armael said.

Soldierboy gave the priest a respectful nod, then started back towards his knightly friends.

“How am I supposed to remain calm enough to cast [Lesser Soothe]?” Noa asked, huffing as he wiped his pants down.

“Typically, experience, but we can at least give you practice,” Armael said. “Many [Comforters] don’t do this sort of thing during battle, but the few that do have some tricks. Think of a place that makes you happy or brings you peace.”

“A place that brings me peace...” Noa trailed.

“You do have one of those, don’t you?” Armael asked.

“Yeah, sure, it’s... it’s...” Noa hummed, scratching his head. An idea briefly came to him, but then a rawr pierced the thought as it echoed through the sky.

“Curses! They’re here!” Armael sneered, turning towards the forest line in the distance.