"Guys you will never guess what I just discovered!" X said as he excitedly ran up to the party.
They looked up from what they were working on and waited expectantly for an answer.
"So when you practice a skill so many times you are able to gain a free skill point in it!" X pulled his hands together to express his excitement. "That means if we actually train in the skills we want to specialize in we don't have to level up to get stronger."
"So you mean it took you having a magical system to figure out that if you exercise you will get stronger?" Norman looked at him with a deadpan face.
"Normally I wouldn't agree with Norman, but X you kinda walked into this one," Darius said patting him on the back.
X's elation deflated. "But doesn't that mean we can just train between moments where we are looking for the fruit?"
"I actually already had a full plan laid out for us to get in some training so we can be on the same page. So you bringing that up isn't necessarily a bad thing." Norman pulled out his tablet. I wrote up a document of some of the training we do during our off-season, and Darius took the list and made a few edits to fit our ragtag group a bit better. Maybe after this, you all won't be trash."
The group bit their tongue. He was right about the training being something useful.
"Well, maybe we can incorporate some of your weapon choices into this new training," Adriana walked up to join the group. "Hot from my workshop." She passed out a few weapons. "I was able to make a bow and I balanced out this log into a pretty good quality baton until I can get the metal for your sword X. For now, the rest of us have to use spears."
"Well, let's get to work! We got some levels to grind out." X fist-pumped the air in excitement.
The party was only able to train for an hour before there wasn't enough sunlight to properly see. They retired to their nightly routines in an attempt to recover from the day.
Zack just finished washing off and decided to watch the stars for a bit before drifting off to sleep. He couldn't recognize any of the constellations he knew from when he and his mom would go out and stargaze. They really weren't in the same place. Something else was different about the moon. It appeared to be much larger and a lot brighter than the one they were used to back home.
Elana laid down next to him and grabbed his hand.
He planted a gentle kiss on her cheek before pulling her closer.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"You really do like stargazing. I remember that you took me to that clearing in the woods for a night picnic for our 1 year anniversary. I was worried because I had never done anything like that before. My movie watching experience told me you were gonna kill me. I am glad I chose to trust you instead of fearing the unknown." She nestled her head into the nook of his arm.
"I wouldn't want to be stuck on some other world with anyone else but you. How are you holding together? Magick, goblins, flying creatures... I imagine that would be a lot to deal with for most people." Genuine care could be heard in Zack's voice.
"Good thing I ain't most people. I have dealt with worse back home. I would take this fantasy World of Wakecraft lifestyle over my neighborhood any day." She kissed him on the cheek back. "Besides all of this stuff is actually kinda interesting. I never would have thought I would end up in an anime plot. I just hope I am one of the main characters with a lot of plot armor."
"You are hilarious. I agree on that plot armor part tho. If anything it would seem like X would be the main character if this were an anime. Nothing crazy started happening until he showed up looking for that book."
A very strange noise sounded off in the distance.
"What was that?" Elana sat up quickly.
"I'm not sure but I really hope it isn't trouble," Darius said walking up to the two of them.
The noise sounded off again this time sounding a lot closer to the camp on the hill.
"Let's get the others and get ready for a fight. I think that sounded like a horn." Zack said scrambling off the ground. "It was nice resting while we could."
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"So professor you teach history correct?" X asked as he moved his chess piece.
"Human conflict to be exact. I have studied almost every war that has been documented by humankind." The professor countered X's current strategy.
"What do you think of the boxer rebellion?" X looked at the board for a few seconds to see if there were any openings before moving a piece.
"It was amazing that even with a technological disadvantage the "Boxers" were able to fight for so long against the forces they were up against." He took X's knight. "The home-field advantage is powerful when it comes to fighting. You will fight hard for your home."
X moved his rook and took the professor's bishop to protect his king. "My dad would always talk about how important it is to learn how to protect yourself. He would always reference that moment in history. He says let the Yihetuan Movement serve as an example."
The sounding of the first warhorn cut X off.
"What was that?" X turned his head to see where the sound was coming from.
"It was a bit too far away for me to tell. Maybe it was some kind of animal?" The professor scratched his head and moved his piece to put X's king into check. "Check. It is really good to have guardians that are aware of history. They stop it from repeating itself."
X studied the board for a second. "You have been setting me up for this since you opened the board."
"That is all apart of war. You will pick up on tricks like this as we play more."
The horn sounded again. This time it was a lot closer.
"That sounds a lot like a war horn." The professor stood up. "I hope the Patrol Team is ready for a fight."
"Come on trash we need to gear up," Norman said as he was running by the professor and X.
"I guess the goblins came after all. I will ensure the Patrol Team is prepared to fight." The professor jogged towards that part of the camp.