“Keep your shield up. Along with your footwork, it’s your best chance of living through a battle.” Colette Leblanc’s mentor, an older woman with silvery-grey hair tied into a tight ponytail, with no bangs and her hair slicked back. She wore loose-fitting leather armor with a rounded shield on her right arm and a sword hanging loosely from her left hand. “Armor can only protect so much beneath a concentrated assault. You must be able to defend yourself if you wish to survive on Verum. Raise your shield.” The woman then lunged forward, thrusting her sword.
Colette forced her shield up, grimacing from the impact of the strike. Not allowing herself to stagger, she retaliated with a swipe of her sword, her arm straining from the weight of the weapon. The woman parried her with an almost contemptuous slap of her sword, sliding forward and smashing her shield against Colette’s. The teen staggered back, her left flagging as she lowered her guard. The instant it fell, the point of the woman’s sword rested at Colette’s throat.
“Madame Colette…” The woman offered her a tired glare, eyes sharp but resigned.
“I know, Vicky. My arms are tired, though.’ Colette tried not to whine as she stepped back so that she had room to let her arms rest at her sides.
“Viktorine.” The woman corrected sternly, frowning at the teen. She then looked to the sky, eyes narrowing as she studied the sun’s position. “Hmm. We have been training for a few hours now. I suppose now would be a good time for a rest.”
“We’re not done?” She tried not to whine, but her excessive soreness pushed her over the edge.
Viktorine offered an exasperated stare. “Her Highness requested that I offer my expertise in preparing you, Madame Colette. Please take this seriously.” With that said, she crossed her arms. “I asked that you return here in fifteen minutes. We’ll resume then.” After stating that, she turned and walked away towards the gardens.
Colette grumbled as she lifted her sword and tried to sheathe it. Her arm shook as she missed the opening a few tries before the sword finally slid into the sheath. With a sigh, Colette looked around and took in the open courtyard, pleasantly warm with a gentle, almost unnoticeable breeze. Placing a hand on her hip, she turned around to see that some of her classmates were also taking a moment. She nearly walked over to one of them, but movement in her periphery caught her attention. A pair were running along the inner edge of the courtyard, along the walls of the keep. Joseph and Valeri, though the former seemed like he lagged.
“I’m not sure whether to be jealous or grateful.” Colette turned around to see that Deandria approaching her, her long blonde hair tied into in a loose ponytail with her bangs pushed up by a cloth hairband. She wiped her face with a rag. She wore a loose leather skirt, parted on the left to allow her leg to be seen and had a sleeveless jerkin over her torso. “Joey doesn’t need to learn how to use his weapon, but on the other hand…”
“He has to run laps.” Colette finished with a gentle laugh, pushing a hand through her short hair. She sported heavier clothing, despite her smaller size. She wore a chainmail skirt, seemingly both heavy and quite airy. Her torso clad in weighted leather, with steel attached to her arms and shoulders, to help build up her strength. She exhaled breathily. “Two weeks and I already want to die. I could never imagine doing this my whole life.”
Deandria offered her an amused smile, her breaths heavier than usual. “It’s something you get used to, after a while.” She shrugged a single shoulder, the one without the strap holding the four-foot tall shield on her back. “Basketball’s kept me in shape, so I’m not as hurt by it.”
Colette’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s right. I remember you saying something about practice before class started.” She hummed as understanding filled her. She noticed that Deandria didn’t look as winded as she felt. “Lucky. You’re used to this already, Andi, and I’m dying over here…”
“‘Used to it’?” Deandria’s smile widened as she shook her head. “No, far from it. It’s taking everything I have to not just hide behind this wall of steel.”
Colette groaned. “I don’t know how you can hold that wall when I struggle to keep this one in front of me.” She flopped the arm holding the shield, not bothering to lift it.
“Just keep doing it. You’ll grow strong enough in no time.” Her friend stated simply, nodding with a smile. Deandria looked to the side. “Hey, do you want to find some of the others?”
She grinned, “Sure. Let’s go see what they’re doing.” At that, the two of them decided to make their way to the nearest person. It didn’t take long until they happened upon a group of three people, two who were fighting while the remaining one observed.
Guang and Tadashi attacked one another, though the latter’s spear-handling kept the former at a distance. Tadashi jabbed and swept his spear side to side, forcing to Guang to side step and duck backward. Even amongst that, Guang continued to try and close the distance strafing and dodging to the side to try and circle around Tadashi’s range. Back and forth, the two continued to probe each other’s defenses, though the advantage sided solely in Tadashi’s favor.
“Enough.” A man’s voice called out, causing them to come to a slow stop. Guang frowned faintly while Tadashi’s shoulders drooped as he breathed out heavily. The man walked over to the pair with a confident stride, dark brown eyes intensely studying the pair of them. He dressed in a set of leather and steel armor, where his shoulders and hips glistened with plate mail. He had thick sideburns that fell to his jaw. “Very good, you two. Your agility is coming along smoothly.” He eyes rolled towards a heavily breathing Tadashi and the winded Guang. “Endurance is something you need to work on, though. But I suppose now’s a good time for a break.” He waved a hand at the pair. “Rest. Catch your breath.” He turned and began to walk away. “Sir Guang, I’ll inform your mentor of your progress when she returns.” With that, he headed away from them and towards the castle proper.
Guang snorted at his words, before looking towards Tadashi with a grin. “I thought I had you, Tadashi. You’re pretty damn good with that spear.”
Tadashi hummed as he inclined his head towards Guang. “Thank you. I admit that you nearly did. Almost slipped by me far more often than I liked.” Guang simply grinned at his words as Tadashi looked over to his new audience. “Colette, Deandria. How long have you been there?”
“We just got here,” Colette answered as she walked over to the pair, circling them as she narrowed her eyes at the pair. “Wanted to see how everyone else was…”
Tadashi wore a set of weighted robes that wrapped around his shoulders and waist, holding a shoulder height spear at his side with the end of it resting on the ground.
Guang had a set of form-fitting leather armor with his hood hanging down his back, a pair of sheathed daggers resting on either side of his hips. “How are you guys doing?” He asked the three of them, breathing deeply as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Deandria shrugged a single shoulder. “It’s footwork and learning a new skill. I’m not having any difficulties… Much, anyway.”
“I’ve had…experience with this weapon in the past,” Tadashi answered carefully. “It’s just a matter of getting used to its weight and build my stamina.”
“It’s so damn hard.” Colette declared as she let her shoulders slump. “We’ve been at this for weeks already, and I don’t feel like I’ve gotten any better.” She offered them a frustrated smile, shaking her head. “After watching some of us show natural talent, it’s frustrating…”
Guang snorted, “Yeah, it’s kind of hard to compete with Luke’s natural talent or Kacee’s analytical skill.” He then rolled his eyes. “Plus, that’s not even touching Joey’s cheating Affinity or Mitsuki’s ‘Darwin is my Bitch’ Affinity.”
Tadashi frowned and shook his head. “We shouldn’t focus on the bad or what others have.” He caught their attention. “What we should do is maximize what we do have to make it just as effective as theirs.”
“Easier said than done.” Colette quipped, giving Deandria a playfully sidelong glance. “Andi here makes momentum disappear. That seems like something you could use to gain an advantage. Me?” She lifted a hand, and a golden glow overtook her palm. “I make things glow and not like Emmie.” She clenched her hand and rolled her eyes. “I’m a glorified nightlight.”
Everyone looked at her with varying levels of discomfort. One of them almost responded, but a voice broke into their conversation. “Can you do that again, Colette? It looked familiar.” They all turned around to see that Joseph had approached them, though he looked like he had rolling around bushes for the better part of an hour, considering all the grass stains that covered his leather armor. His black hair, disheveled and he looked perpetually short of breath.
Colette frowned at him but nodded regardless. “Okay.” She opened her hand and caused the light to return.
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Joseph stared at it, focusing his attention almost desperately upon it. His gaze flickered along it before he gave a decisive nod. “I think I know what it is, though you really shouldn’t just take my word for it. I believe that the glow you have is something like Holy.” As everyone stared at him, he gave a somewhat uncomfortable look, before he let out a coughing wheeze and shrugged. “You’ll be a walking nuke against the undead. Master it, and no undead creature will be able to stand in your path.”
Deandria smirked as she placed a hand on Colette’s shoulder. “See? You can’t complain if Joey himself tells you that. He’s a pro when it comes to this knowledge.” They decided to ignore Joseph’s faint blush at the praise if only to spare him the embarrassment. Though, his notable heavy breaths concerned them.
Colette stared at her hand, eyes staring into the bright light, utterly unaffected by its intensity. She clenched and unclenched her fist as a slow smile grew on her face. As Colette took in his words, the sense of dissatisfaction that she felt over her Affinity slowly faded. The feeling remained, but she’d have to find out the rest for herself. Colette looked over to Joey, taking in his winded appearance, and gave him a gentle smile. “Thanks, Joey.”
His eyes widened, and his cheeks darkened at her words, clearly not expecting her gratitude. After a few seconds of silence, Joseph grunted as he nodded to her, looking away from her as he rubbed the back of his head. “It’s no problem. If I’m wrong, then you’re back to square one.”
The young woman let out a laugh, her smile widening to a playful grin. “But now? I have something to research. I have to thank you, Joey.” She sauntered over to him, playfully sashaying her hips until she finally stopped right in front of him. Poking him in his chest, Colette felt her eyes widen in surprise at the lack of give. “Well, well, well. It looks like someone’s been earning some gains.” Her grin widened. “Flex for me, Joey-boy. Momma wants to see some muscle on this nerd.”
Much to Colette’s pleasant surprise, Joseph did not react in further embarrassment but instead gave her a tired glare. “Hilarious, Colette.”
She pouted at his lack of reaction, amused despite herself. “Well, aren’t you no fun.”
“Oi!” Guang pulled their attention to him, causing everyone to miss Joseph relaxing expression. “What about me? Joey isn’t the only one with gains.” He pushed his sleeve and flexed, showing he did indeed put on muscle with his training.
Tadashi rolled his eyes, shaking his head tiredly.
Deandria gave him a commiserating smile. “That’s fantastic for you, shadow-boy. But…” She shrugged her shoulders with notable exaggeration. “No one asked you.”
Colette giggled playfully at Guang’s affronted look as Tadashi and Joseph shared faint laughter.
“Whatever.” The dagger-wielding young man groused, shoulders slumping as he glared to the side. “I’m going to sit down somewhere; I’m exhausted…”
“I think I will too.” Joseph wheezed, grimacing at the sound of his voice. He ignored the concerned looks from everyone, focusing on following after Guang. “Mind if I join you?”
Guang waved a hand as he walked away. “Sure, whatever. I’m probably going to pass out anyway.”
“God! So am I.” Colette quickly raced over to Joseph, draping herself over his shoulders. “Carry me.”
“No.” The young man drawled, still walking forward even as Colette latched onto his back, forcing him to stagger forward to keep from falling. “Hey, get off my back!”
Colette just laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You’re going to have to try harder than that!”
Surrounded by the amused laughter of their remaining three classmates, the pair of them made their way to a place to the rest.
----
Patrick Lethe strummed his acoustic guitar, still surprised that a medieval society seemed able to build one for him. His fingers rolled along the strings, plucking them in tune with his fingers and pick. He studied his ‘ax’ and couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face, feeling like a college student again. It had been years since he even picked up a guitar, yet the moment he did so after awakening his Affinity, he felt like only hours had passed since he last played…
A twang caught his attention as his eyes flicked upwards to the source. Strumming a chord, he caused a controlled sonic boom to shoot outwards and destroy the arrow before it reached him. Several more followed and he continued to play, forming a fast-paced beat that he remembered hearing on the radio the day before he and his class dropped into Verum.
His finger flew across the strings, striking chords and melodies he could remember with unusual clarity. His Affinity always felt odd, in the sense that it seemed like he never lived without it. Patrick always had an ear for music, always could commit any tune, any melody, any string of musical notes to memory. Every song he’d ever heard, every jingle, every piece of music he’d tasted in his shockingly short twenty-seven years of life came forward as if he heard them not moments ago.
When compared to Patrick’s students, their individual growth, and the Affinity’s that they had developed, he felt disappointed in himself. As their teacher, he had the duty of protecting them and guiding them until they left his care, or he thought they were ready. Each of the surpassed him in their own way.
They had already either found their ideal places or showed frightening capability in something connected to the world they now resided.
Rudy had shown himself as an impeccable hunter. His patience when it came to both combat and stalking seemed almost as supernatural as his Affinity. It had gotten to the point where he more stalked than walked as he went about the day.
Guang took to his training with enthusiasm, adapting to any and every struggle with determination and grit. His steps were just as light as Rudy’s, but he had gained a tendency to strike relentlessly. His natural ambidextrousness allowed him to use his weaponry as easily as breathing.
Nailah’s natural intelligence aided her Affinity frighteningly well. Were it not for her hang-ups; she could’ve become the most dangerous member of the Thirteen of them. A ‘General’ Affinity that allowed her to virtually manipulate the very magic in the air to her whims. When discovered, Lillian nearly canceled her trip, if only for a chance to teach her.
Baasima, despite never having done so before, managed to demonstrate an impressive talent with direct physical combat. She gained preternatural flexibility and kinesthetic memory, allowing her to learn and adapt at a frightening pace.
Tadashi proved to be a swift learner as well, though his preference for staying at a distance shifted his tutelage. His Affinity allowed him to create localized areas where he had absolute control, though he had yet to figure out wholly what it was that he could do.
Deandria proved herself to be the epitome of a defensive wall and an eventual master of battlefield control. She could weather and negate all but the worst of assaults, though she needed further training with her Affinity. Regardless, very little escaped her sharp gaze and natural intuitiveness in battle.
Kacee, on the other hand, had gained attention for not her Affinity, but her mind. She had shown a remarkable capability in strategy and predicting the flow of battle, both prior and amid it. Her natural intelligence lent wonderfully to her ability to lead a fight.
Amber, while not leaning towards combat, proved that she had gained an intuitive, and adaptive, understanding of blacksmithing and the related tools with it. A combination of that and her general distaste for combat led her to become an apprentice blacksmith under a skilled and experienced blacksmith, employed directly by the Royal Family.
Colette proved herself to be a slow learner in regards to combat, but her skill with her Affinity stood amongst the better of them, barring three. Using the sword and shield, she showed a hint of talent, but her hesitations held her back.
Of everyone, though, three of his class showed exceptional talent even when compared to knights several years their senior.
Mitsuki proved to be a veritable force of nature, able to shift into a variety of animals. Her instincts also mirrored them, allowing her to react instantly with the correct move. She needed no weapon, no armor because her mind was her greatest weapon.
Luke, though he still needed training, proved to be the most naturally talented of the group. He soaked in combat knowledge like a sponge to water, his body picking up the necessary movements as if he were born to do so. His Affinity allowed him to watch anything in slow motion and pick up the most subtle of changes with ease.
Finally, Joseph proved to be the most surprising. Intuitively mastering anything he wielded, his final student showed himself to be the one who both needed the least and most amount of training. Even then, he always seemed to know what to do or say to bring the others’ mood up. Of all of them, Patrick felt that Joseph needed him the least. The young man showed himself to be a charismatic individual, though he did not notice. He pushed himself harder than anyone else, because of his asthma, and the rest of the class noticed. They saw and accepted that they had to do the same. When he spoke, the rest of them listened. When he acted, the rest of them watched and waited.
Patrick felt himself smiling sadly as the last of his training came to an end. In a way, amongst the pride he felt for his students, he felt melancholy. Did they still need him?
How soon would it be before they went off on their own?
Should he let them?
Could he stop them?
No. Patrick shook his head. His students…they were always the independent type, ever growing and learning. They took to his lessons with frightening alacrity back on Earth. A part of him couldn’t help but muse that they were his favorite class, for all the four years he had been teaching. They had their ups and downs, but they were still kids, despite their ages. They had their struggles, just like anyone else, considering the island they lived on back on Earth.
They’d be fine when the time comes. Patrick mused to himself, looking over to the side to see all of his students meeting up, laughing and joking as they made their way to a place to rest.
He'd believe in them, even as he felt shame in his feelings of being unneeded, unnecessary.
Perhaps…Verum could be a chance for something new?
“Patrick.” The teacher looked to the source of the voice, seeing Kara approaching him. She wore her armor, with her helm held in the crook of her arm. She smiled widely, proudly. “You did well today. No one reached you. Have you been practicing?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ve played in the past. It was like riding a bike?”
She furrowed her brow at him. “What is…?” She shook her head. “Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll learn it eventually.” After a moment, she frowned at him. “Are you alright?” Kara followed his gaze to see that he watched after his students. A smile flickered along her lips as her eyes rolled back to him. “They are learning quickly. Almost as if they were born for it.”
Patrick felt his lips twist, almost like his guts. He wasn’t sure how to think about that, adapting such violence so quickly. “They’ve always been intelligent, always picking things up quickly.”
Kara remained silent, her eyes flicking from them, back to him. “Do you wish to join them?” Her voice, soft as she asked of him.
“No.” He shook his head. “They probably don’t want to hang out with their teacher. I’ll leave them to their devices.” Patrick then paused, turning his attention to Kara. “Would you like to go out tonight?”
Kara felt her eyes widen at his question, surprised even as her lips curled in a faint smile. “I would be…amenable to it, Patrick. Her Highness has not afforded me any tasks, so I should be free after today’s training comes to an end.”
“I can wait,” Patrick said as a smile grew on his face.
His students may be growing up, but that doesn’t mean he can’t branch out on his own.