Back at the village.
“Nice job with the training as always!”, said Dave with a smile on his face as usual.
Dave, Cess, Orph, and Eric were all sitting by the fireplace, eating their hunt.
“I’ll go get some water.”, said Eric.
Dave nodded.
He waited for Eric to go far away and sighed.
“What’s wrong?”, asked Cess.
“He tries so hard...”, Dave replied and sighed again, he looked down at the campfire and sighed, again.
“Do you mean Eric?”, asked Cess.
Dave nodded and replied, “It’s like he’s cursed...”, he looked at Cess and then again at the ground before adding, “I feel like I’ve failed as a teacher...”, before slightly laughing.
Orph sighed and joined in on the conversation, “He can do everything... It’s just that he can’t do everything very good...”
“Are you mad at me for talking behind your friend’s back?”, asked Dave with teary eyes.
Orph sighed again and replied, “No. Why would I be? You simply spoke the truth.” and closed his eyes.
“Oh. It looks like Orph is tired.”, said Dave.
“No! I’m not!”, Orph replied.
“Are you sure?”, asked Dave.
Orph didn’t reply but stared at Dave with eyes that could pierce.
“You’re too tired to even speak... Let’s call it a day!”, smiled Dave.
Orph sighed and replied, “Yes. Let’s.”
Dave smiled and placed his hands on Orph’s shoulders before smiling and going away.
Cess came over, “You are sighing a lot...”
“I-”, Orph looked at Cess for a while before adding, “Yes, yes I am.” and sighed again.
“There you go again!”, smiled Cess.
“Oh please, don’t join him!”
“I’m not!”
“And he means well...”, added Cess.
“I know he does.”, Orph looked down. “Makes it harder to get angry...”
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“Chin up...”
Cess suddenly heard some noise coming from a bush near them.
“Chin up...?”, asked Orph.
“Did you hear that?”, asked Cess.
“Hear what?”
Cess looked at Orph and then at the bush before replying, “Nothing...”
“Are you sure?”
Cess nodded.
Orph looked at her for a few moments before adding, “Alright. I’ll go join Eric...”
Cess nodded again.
Orph started to walk away but before he fully could, he looked back and spoke, “Stay safe.”
Cess nodded again before sitting down at the campsite, and Orph went ahead to meet Eric.
“Hey.”, said Orph, seeing Eric trying to find water.
Eric looked at Orph before continuing his search for water.
“Still can’t find it?”
“No...”
Orph placed his hands on Eric’s shoulders and gestured to him to follow, “Come on. There’s plenty of water in our tent.”
Eric sighed and decided to follow Orph.
“Do you feel any different?”, asked Orph, a few moments later.
“What do you mean?”, asked a confused Eric back.
“The training... that we’re doing.”
Eric sighed and replied, “No... Not really.”
He looked at Orph before adding, “I have felt the same since I was a child... there’s no difference... no matter how hard I train.”
Orph looked at Eric, but he didn’t say anything.
Eric looked back before speaking, “What about you?”
“I feel stronger.”
Eric smiled, “That’s expected. I guess my situation is expected too.”
“I’m sorry...”
“There’s nothing there for you to be sorry about...”, Eric looked at Orph.
He laughed and added, “I didn’t know you could make that face!”, before smiling and looking down.
Orph jolted and looked at the front, away from Eric.
“I-I’m full of surprises.”
Eric smiled, “Did you decide on what you’d want to do after this?”
“Become a knight!”, Orph laughed.
He looked back again and added, “No... not really.”
Orph put his hand forward and added, “I’m just focusing on the task at hand... I’ll let that be handled by future Orph.”
“Then I wish future Orph all the best.”
Orph laughed, “I’m sure he’d appreciate your wishes.”, and smiled.
They walked some time in silence before Orph decided to break it. “You should really read books.”
“Where did that come from?”, asked a surprised Eric.
“No... Do you read books?”
“Not really...”
“Then you should really read books!”
Eric put both his hands on his head and went through it, shaking it in confusion.
“Look...”, Orph stopped and looked at Eric before adding, “You are not really improving physically...”
“That might be an understatement.”, Eric laughed.
“Then well, maybe books will help you improve... mentally.”, Orph added.
Orph sighed before speaking again, “Books have a lot of information that you can use...”
“I just wanted to help you... doing a thing repeatedly with no success is not determination...”, he added.
“I know...”, Eric replied, slightly annoyed, slightly sad.
“Then you should really read books!”, added Orph.
“I will!”, groaned Eric before sighing loudly, making Orph laugh.
Back in the bushes near the campsite.
Slav sighed a sigh of relief before thinking, “I thought she caught me...”
She looked to the other side and slept on the ground.
“Dit always taught me to plan ahead before striking.”, she whispered.
“Who’s Dit?”
“Just my-”
Slav looked back in the direction of the campsite only to have Cess stare at her from above.
“Ah.”, she added.