Chapter 28

It was time to start training. It had been long enough. We had been putting this on the backburner for too long. It was now time to take this seriously. I got out of the tent and went to sit by the fire. Adrian was already up and cooking breakfast for everyone. As everyone slowly made their way out of their tents we sat around the fire and talked and ate. Whenever everyone was done Devin led Sora and I off to a clear spot away from the main campsite. “It’s time to start your sword training.” He brought out a pair of wooden swords and handed one to each of us. “Forget everything you’ve been doing so far. You’ve told me that neither of you have had any formal instruction. So much of your sword fighting up to this point has been off of pure instinct. In the moment that may save your life but there is no replacement for actual training. So for now you will practice every day with these practice swords. You need to learn at least the basics of sword fighting. So let's get started.” He took out his own sword and said to watch what he did. He went through a series of cuts, stabs, and slashes. He kept going through them for a while and then he asked us if there was any part of it that we would have trouble with. We let him know that we thought we could do it. So he said for us to start with the moves and he would correct us as we went. I started doing what I thought I had seen. I hadn’t moved for more than a few seconds when I felt Devin wack me with his wooden sword. “You're moving too sloppily. Stabilize your stance and then try to move. Take your time. Don’t try to rush through the movements. We have plenty of time.” That was how the rest of the morning passed. We would make mistakes and he would wack us with his sword to correct us. I thought we had started to get the hang of it by lunch time until Devin said. “Well you aren’t looking quite as bad as in the beginning. Though you two still look terrible. It seems we will be here for a very long time. Go have lunch and then find Morigan. She will start your magical training. This is how your days will go for a while. Training with the sword in the morning and then either magic, survival, or the use of larger weapons.``

We ate a quick lunch and then walked over to where Morigan was sitting. It was slightly away from the camp. She looked up from a large book she had been reading and said. “First off I would like each of you to show me what you're capable of so that I know where to start. I know you’ve said that neither of you have had any magical education but you did mention that you both know how to use a spell. The fireball spell wasn't it?” I answered her. “Yes, that's correct, we both know the fireball spell. Though we learned it in a rather unconventional way.” She looked at me with a raised eyebrow and asked questioningly . “What do you mean by unconventional?” I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her until Kalastrovax chimed in. “Go ahead and tell her. Not about me but that someone powerful gave you a book that allowed you to learn the spell.” So I told her. “We were given this book by someone powerful. They don’t want that to be common knowledge but we were told we both have an aptitude for magic by this person. We read this book and the information just appeared in our minds.” She looked at me astonished. “I’ve read about these sorts of things but they are supposed to be ancient tomes lost to history.” I nodded. “That is much the same as we were told. That it was an old book that could only be used a certain number of times but it would imprint the knowledge directly into your mind.” “Well for now just show me what you can do and we will move on from there.” We walked a little farther from camp so that we wouldn’t catch anything on fire. There was a boulder we could use as target practice. I went forward first. I summoned a ball of fire into my hand. I made sure it didn’t get too big. I threw it at the boulder and it caused a small explosion. Not even large enough to hurt the boulder. Morigan nodded in approval. Sora stepped up and did basically the same thing. “That was pretty good for being the first spell either of you learned. Well for now we will go through the basics of mana manipulation. Since you both already know a spell this will simplify things by a lot. I assume you can both control your mana to some degree. We will start with controlling the size of the fireball. Throughout the next few weeks I will try to teach you a few different spells that I know. If you have the aptitude then maybe you'll be able to learn them yourselves.” So we started making fire balls of different sizes. She wanted them to be as small and compressed as we could make them. The intention behind this was to increase our control. She also wanted us to expend all of our mana so that we could learn where our limits were. She told us that If we pushed too hard we might pass out from lack of mana. She also said that mana replenished over time but you could purchase mana potions and healing draughts from the mages guild. She said they were very expensive but they could save your life in a pinch. We continued practicing until we had exhausted our mana pools. We walked over to the fire to eat supper with the rest of the group. They reported to the others how we had done today. After that it was time for me to take first watch. My shift passed without incident. I climbed into my tent exhausted from the day. I could feel bruises coming from where I had been hit by Devins sword. I was also mentally drained from using so much mana.

I woke up the next morning and it went almost the same as the day before. We woke up and had breakfast. Then we started our sword practice with Devin. It sadly went a lot like the day before. Devin continued to correct us when we made an incorrect movement. He went through the moves for us a few times to show us what we were doing wrong. It helped a bit but we still couldn’t follow him completely. We did eventually start to get more comfortable with it. The moves felt better and it felt more fluid. After a while he told us that we would be sparing with each other. It would give him a better idea of where we were as far as skill. Sora and I lined up across from each other. We charged at each other and tried to use some of the moves we had been taught. I immediately knew what he had been looking for. It felt so awkward to try to use these new moves. Sora and I kept going at each other but we soon slipped into our old ways and Devin told us to stop. “So you see how far you still have to go. We are done for the day. We will continue to go through the motions and then spar. For now go find Charlotte and I mean find. She is hidden somewhere near the camp. Good luck.”

Well this was different. We had no experience in this. While we had spent a lot of time in the forest recently we had never done any tracking or hunting. We walked into the forest and started to look for her. He had said she would be somewhere near the camp so we started making circles around the camp slowly getting further and further from it. It soon became obvious that there was more to this game than just finding her. That was confirmed when a blunt wooden arrow flew past my right ear. I turned around quickly to see if I could see where it had come from. I didn’t even see a branch or leaf move. So that was why he had wished us luck. We had to be more careful. We continued walking around the camp and we had caught no sign of her. That was when the arrows started to rain down on us. They came from every direction. It was as if she was everywhere all at once. We began running in the opposite direction but the arrows continued to follow us. We each had been hit a couple of times. While these arrows couldn’t do much damage they would leave behind a bad bruise. We continued to switch direction to try to avoid the arrows. It was almost as if she was trying to lead us somewhere. A concept that registered to me too late. The patch of leaves under our feet collapsed and we fell into a deep hole. After the dust settled and I caught my bearings I slowly stood up. Sora did the same thing next to me. It seemed like she had been surprised by the trap as well. Chuckling came from the edge of the pit. Adrian and Charlotte appeared over the edge. Charlotte said. "Thanks Adrian for helping me with the hole.” Adrian replied. “It was my pleasure. I enjoy showing the new ones that they need to be more cautious and to pay more attention.” They threw a rope ladder down into the hole and helped us climb out. Once we were above ground Charlotte said. “This was your first lesson. Always be aware of your surroundings. If I had been a bandit or a monster I could have killed both of you before you knew I was there. Neither of you could find me and in your panic you fell for a trap. These are the things that I will be teaching you. Over the next few weeks we will play these kinds of games. I will hide in the forest and you will try to find me but you must also keep a look out for traps. As we go through this I’ll also teach you different tricks to help you find traps and in turn to find me. I’ll also teach you both the basics of using a bow. It will help with ranged combat as well as if you ever need to hunt for food in the future. You’ll be thankful you’ve had this training if it comes to that. For now let's go back to the camp. ”

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We made our way back to the camp. We were exhausted. Once we got back to camp we decided we needed to bathe off the sweat of the day. Sora went with the other girls and they took baths. After they got back me and the other guys went down to the river. Once we got back Adrian cooked up a meal. We ate and talked about how training was going. The general idea was that they had seen many worse new adventurers. We had a long way to go but with their help we would be able to improve a lot and a lot more quickly than trying to do it ourselves. Tomorrow there will be more sword training followed by training with the great sword and axe. It would be interesting to try new weapons. I didn’t know how well Sora and I would do with weapons of that size but it was part of the training so we would do it. We need to become more well rounded adventurers. This was just one step on a long path. We spent time talking about what we could improve on. There was really no end to what we needed to improve on but they made sure not to put us down too much. Criticism was fine but they knew that too much may lead to hard feelings so they just gently critiqued us. It had gotten late so it was time for Devin and I to take first watch. We talked softly while sitting around the campfire. It didn’t feel necessary but you never knew what was out there in the dark. So close to civilization it might not be as important but once we got into land inhabited by bandits and monsters we would need to be wary. It was best to treat every night the same way. I went into my tent when the watch was over. I felt like I had earned a nice night of sleep. I laid down in my tent and quickly went to sleep.

I woke up the next morning in a lot of pain. My body was covered in bruises from the arrows the day before. I would just have to put up with it. I got out of the tent and did some stretches to try to relieve some of the ache. I walked over to the fire and just enjoyed being out in nature. The smell of the food cooking was a nice addition to the surroundings. As everyone came out of their tents we all gathered around the fire. We ate breakfast and it was time for more sword practice. Adrian joined Devin to train us. He would watch this training and after we were done with sword practice we would have lunch and he would pick up the training. We started with the forms Devin had taught us. After we had worked on those and Devin was satisfied with how we were doing he asked us to spar. This was what Adrian was most interested in and he began paying much more attention. Devin said. “For the first round try and use your new forms but in the second round just do whatever feels natural.” Adrian grinned but didn’t say anything. Sora and I lined up across from each other. Devin waved his hand to signal for us to begin. The few days of training had helped us a lot. We attacked with more certainty but we still weren’t fluid enough to use it in actual combat. We left gaps open for attacks and our footing wasn’t very good. All of this being said we still had gotten better. We swung and stabbed at each other and even though we weren’t as fluid as we would have liked we continued to follow our training and use the forms Devin had been teaching us. The round ended in a draw. We each exchanged blows but neither of us was able to gain an edge. We each wanted to let loose but that was for the next round. We needed to stick to the training specifically. They gave us the signal to stop and rest. We sat down and Adrian brought over some sandwiches and water for us to eat and drink before the second round started.

After the rest and the meal we got back up and prepared ourselves for another round. Adrian said. “I want you two to go all out in this one. Don’t hold back. I’m not concerned with your technique. I just want to see how you do in a fight without being restricted.” We lined up again and did what he said. We attacked with a ferociousness we normally saved for our enemies. We gave no regard to technique or injury. We simply went at each other. We stabbed and slashed at each other with reckless abandon. The sound of the wooden swords clashing together rang out in the clearing. We fought for as long as we could. Both of us were heaving from the exertion Adrian finally waived for us to stop. “You both fight with great intensity. I like that. I’ll let you rest for a while and then I’ll let you try out my weapons. Though they may be a little unwieldy to you, training with them will improve your strength and speed. We will also begin an exercise routine every morning before your sword practice. Exercise is an important part of training. Though you may not enjoy it, it is necessary.” We nodded our assent. Neither of us had any problem with working hard to improve ourselves. Devin came up to us and said. “Tomorrow the training schedule will be exercising with Adrian to start the day. Then you will practice with the sword and after that you will learn from either Morigan or Charlotte.”

After another short rest Adrian brought over his great sword and the large great axe that he would use interchangeably in combat. “Give these a try. They will be heavier than you are used to but you should both be able to lift them.” Sora grabbed the sword so I grabbed the axe. Saying it was heavy would be a massive understatement. It felt like I was lifting three or four times the weight of my own weapon. I could see that Sora was having the same problem. We were both able to lift it but neither of us could use either of these weapons effectively. Adrian frowned a little and said. “I had hoped that both of you would have a little more strength. It doesn’t really matter though. I’ll make both of you so strong that the weight of these weapons is no different than your little swords.” I felt miffed at him for calling my sword little but I couldn't refute his claim. Compared to his weapons ours were pretty small. He told us to put down his weapons and he put them away. They told us we could have the rest of the day to just relax. They made it sound like the training we had just undergone was only the beginning of something that was going to be much harder. Though that was a problem for tomorrow. We gathered around the fire once again. There wasn’t much for us to do. All of the chores had already been taken care of so we just sat around and chatted to pass the time. We all washed up before supper. Sora and I were particularly gross after our combat session.

We all sat down and ate the meal that Adrian had prepared. It was roast chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes. Quite the spread for being out in the wilderness. Though Adrian was passionate about food. He had devoted much of his time to preparing the best meals he could. He could work as a chef in any restaurant in the Capital but he felt he was more suited to the life of an adventurer. I had learned quite a bit about where the group had all come from. They all had rather interesting backgrounds. Devin was the son of a noble but he found that life to be rather stuffy and wanted to live a life on the road. Morigan had a more traditional upbringing for a mage. She had gone to the mages academy when she had shown a great aptitude for magic. After finishing her studies at the academy she decided she didn’t want to be a researcher in the mages guild; she wanted to live a more exciting life. Charlotte was sent out by her family to gain experience. Elves had longer lives than the other races so she was actually much older than the rest of us. She wouldn’t tell any of us how old she actually was but we figured she must be ancient compared to the rest of us. Adrian had always wanted to be an adventurer. He had spent time working in restaurants across all of the kingdoms to sharpen his skills as a cook. He had decided though that he was meant for a life in the fight and he would put his cooking skills to use on the road.

We were quite the amalgamation of a group. So many different stories and backgrounds, but somehow we could all work together fairly well. We still hadn’t faced any real challenges together yet but I was sure that would come soon enough. We ended up talking about ourselves well into the night. We were really coming together as a team. Devin and I stayed up to stand watch. It was almost time to switch watches when we heard something in the bushes. Devin signaled for me to stay quiet but we both drew our swords. As if that was the signal to attack, a group of more than ten goblins crashed through the bushes and ran for us. Devin yelled out a warning to wake the rest of the group. I didn’t have enough time to look and see if they had gotten up. I was quickly overrun by three goblins. They had little knives in their hands and they wanted to use them. I heard a bellow come from behind me as Adrian emerged from his tent. He had his giant sword in hand. I also saw all of the girls coming to our aid as well. I was able to kill one of the ones that were in front of me. Everyone started unleashing attacks and soon we had the goblins overwhelmed. Once all of the goblins were taken care of we piled them up and burned them. They didn’t have anything on them that we wanted. It was decided that tomorrow instead of training we would be going hunting for the goblins. Where there were ten goblins there had to be more. For tonight though we switched guard duty and went to the tent. There was a lot to do tomorrow and I was looking forward to some action after training for a few days. Maybe I could put it to good use. With those thoughts in my head I drifted off to sleep.