Samantha’s induction into the James School for Unfortunate Charity Cases began in earnest the moment she was completely healed. Day one started with a light warm up as she was woken up at the crack of dawn and forced to jog around the perimeter of the cabin alongside her teacher and fellow pupil. Two hours of continuous running later and the incredibly meek Samantha was left splayed out on the ground gasping for air while her running mates were raring to go for more. Without giving her a chance to recover, they moved onto their next activity: log curling. It could not be said it was impossible for one to find training weights in the wild woods, just very unlikely. Which is why they made do using large or thick logs for strength training. Valerie easily benched a three metre long and half as thick log while Samantha struggled with a bundle of sticks. James oversaw his pupils efforts while mentally noting their strengths and weaknesses, Samantha had many. As the days training proceeded each task was no different from the last: James and Valerie would excel, the former pacing himself while the latter pushed what she was capable of. Samantha meanwhile struggled time and again to keep up or even make a good show to the extent she might have done better if she called in sick. Just before noon they finally took a break, allowing Samantha the chance to topple over and catch her breath. They could have pushed further into the afternoon but it wasn’t necessary, James had a good grasp on his pupils physical capabilities and could summarize them in three words.
“She’s bloody awful.”
He mumbled to himself watching his niece goad the borderline tortured girl in a push up contest. In summary, she wasn’t very fast, had little to no stamina, couldn’t lift more than her own body weight and was embarrassingly inept when it came to even the most basic physical exercises. Despite all this she did have her advantages, she was surprisingly resilient for one. After failing to keep a sizable log above her head for even a minute, she mistakenly dropped the substitute dumbbell which landed roughly on her head. Both James and Valerie honestly expected the impact to make a hollow bonk sound and were pleasantly disappointed. The empty headed girl unsurprisingly fell over, somehow ending up under the same log causing her to become pinned helplessly to the ground. When Valerie effortlessly removed the weight, Samantha stood right back up and dusted herself off like nothing had happened. James guessed whatever she endured in her old home either hardened her durability or dulled her sense of pain to an extreme degree. For anyone else it would be an enviable advantage, for the teenage girl it was a mark of the suffering she was put through. A suffering that Samantha seemingly did not care about or notice, even fondly reminiscing on her upbringing at times.
The other advantage she had was her astounding tenacity when faced with failure after failure, she just did not stop for long and simply kept on going. Valerie started the day cocky and brash always coming out ahead during their many exercises, however as the day went on, she slowly tired while Samantha never stopped even if she was horrible at any given task or received more than a few bumps and bruises. Lastly, Samantha was shockingly good at maintaining her balance, unless physically tripped up she could nearly always stay on her feet. At one point James assigned both Valerie and Samantha to try and perform a handstand. His niece had no problem lifting her own weight but was like an elephant on stilts always teetering and eventually fell over. Samantha meanwhile could stay completely still like an upside-down statue that easily crumbled from her pathetic strength. With the days results, James was slowly starting to piece together an appropriate training regime tailored to his pupil, but there was one last task he needed to give her. A task he would not enjoy but his niece would immensely.
“Attention! Front and centre!”
He announced sounding like his old drill sergeant. Valerie was up in a flash and standing before James, evidently having a training buddy around her age not only brought out her competitive nature but also a subconscious need for attention. James admonished himself for neglecting his niece for so long while they focused on Samantha’s recovery, ultimately, she was still a child and needed equal treatment. His other pupil sidled up, tired beyond belief but unrelenting in her determination as she stood side by side with her classmate. With the trainees assembled, James laid out their afternoons mission.
“You’ve both done very well today, but it’s not enough to be physically fit. You have to be smarter and above all better than the competition no matter who or what they may be.”
He ignored the visible tremors of excitement his niece displayed, this wasn’t the first time he gave this speech and no doubt she was looking forward to the task ahead.
“Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to hit me. One hit and your trainings done for the day.”
Valerie’s hand immediately shot up, nearly knocking Samantha over in the process, as she spoke without waiting for permission.
“What about our power? Can we use that?”
James sighed, he specifically forbade his niece from tapping into her more magical abilities during training and also told Samantha off anytime she tried to use her shadows. Still, he wanted to see everything his students had to offer and limiting them wouldn’t be very mentor-like.
“Very well, you can both come at me with everything you’ve got. Just try not to leave any lasting damage this time, okay?”
The day his niece achieved her power was a special and cherished memory for her, however it was not so for James. He still carried the scar from their scuffle and ever since outlawed the use of her power on other people, a rule she broke when attacking Samantha and would have been punished for had they not been preoccupied attending to their guest. Grinning like a mad dog, Valerie was about to run back to the cabin and grab her weapon when Samantha piped up.
“What do we get for winning?”
Valerie stopped to stare at Samantha realizing she had a point, going all out was a treat in and of itself, but why not take her uncle for all he could give. Put on the spot, James felt the unapologetic and greedy gazes from his students bore into him.
“…You’ll get the satisfaction of a proper fight?”
The flat look both gave him made James feel like a child trying to convince his parents not to divorce using crayon drawings.
“Okay, okay. You can get… uh… an extra serving of dinner?”
“Deal!”
Samantha agreed before Valerie could protest, she knew if either asked they would have gotten an extra helping anyway, but it was too late now. With their pact sealed the two pupils scurried back to the cabin for their affects. Valerie emerged wearing her belt and sheathed knife while Samantha raced back dawning her stained cloak. Convincing her to leave the dirty rag behind for their morning training turned out to be a greater undertaking than any would have expected. Obsession was the word of the day when it came to Samantha, and she never failed to exemplify the meaning. With both combatants fully prepared, they stood opposite unarmed opponent, one striking a fighting pose and wielding her weapon menacingly while the other flipped her hood up and appeared to fade into the obscuring confines.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The bout started when Valerie rushed forward towards her uncle who stood casually loosening out his back. She attempted a slash at his chest, fully knowing he could dodge the strike which he did with practiced fluidity. Valerie’s blade came within a hair’s breadth of her uncle as he sidestepped the strike and grabbed her wrist, twisting the strike into an over the shoulder throw. She was slammed hard into the ground nearly losing her grip on her weapon and having all the air forced out of her lungs. James tutted at his niece’s opening gambit, she always tried the same tactics and never succeeded. Turning his sights back to Samantha, he found she hadn’t moved, her cloak wrapped tight covering her from head to toe. He couldn’t make out her face underneath the hood yet felt an uncomfortable presence peering directly into his soul. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and on instinct he ducked barely dodging a hefty log tossed in his general direction. He expected to find his niece stood back up and throwing things like a child, yet he only saw the tip of a black tendril disappear into a shadow near the far off log pile they used for strength training.
“Interesting…”
The display of power got James analytical mind whirring as he assessed his young opponent. She could command shadows from a sizable distance and with some degree of strength it would seem. What was her limit and how much weight could she lift? James was torn from his speculation to sidestep yet another strike from his niece who attempted an upward swing from her kneeling position. Year after year his height advantage shrunk yet it still allowed him to lean out of the way of Valerie’s knife and deliver a mean kick to her prone form sending her flying back. No one said he couldn’t defend himself he simply chose not to go all out so as to give his students a fighting chance. Valerie skid along the ground a few metres before twisting herself into a roll and quickly recovered standing back up with fury in her eyes. So far, she tried to combat her uncle without the use of her power but if she wanted to show him and Samantha what she was really made of she needed to stop holding back.
Taking a deep breath, she felt the power deep inside herself flare to life and course through her body. The mana within her veins flooded her with power extending from out her core into her arms and wrapping around her weapon. She possessed the Aspect of the Knife and, unlike a certain shadow user, couldn’t conjure magical tendrils. Instead, whenever she held a knife, she was inundated with strength that allowed her to push far beyond the limits of someone her age. Crouching low, Valerie angled herself forward like a sprinter waiting for the starting pistol and focused her full attention on her uncle. This same move was the one she used to scar him during their first real sparring match and even if she argued, fought with and occasionally threatened the man she did care about him enough to not want him dead. Adjusting herself slightly, she aimed to just graze him and eek out victory. Her heart beat in her ears as she poured as much power as she could into her legs and right arm to the point they began to throb and ache. A distant bird tweeting signalled Valerie to push of and she surged forth in a single thrust, shattering the earth beneath her feet as she soared towards her uncle.
“HERE I COM-“
“Not good enough!”
She tried to shout out a battle cry but was cut off as her uncle moved out of the way of the lunge at the last second, knocking his niece to the side with a well-placed fist to her abdomen. The momentum of her failed attack continued to push her forward until she collided with the ground skidding once again. James took no pleasure in hurting his family, but showing any kindness or holding back would do nothing for her but signal he still considered her a child unworthy of his training. He saw the attack coming a mile away, it didn’t help she took a solid few seconds to prepare before rushing forward, a ridiculous and foolish waste of time that would have gotten her killed. Not only that she poured everything she had into single strikes and had no back up should she fail or miss. Barring the obvious opening anyone with a modicum of experience could capitalize on there was also her poor mana reserves. He was no expert when it came to magic or Aspects but he needed to find someway of helping his niece improve her internal mana control. Thankfully someone nearby had something of a talent when it came to magic.
James threw his hand back, catching Samantha’s leg as she tried a drop kick aimed directly for his head. How she achieved the height and speed for such a move was of no surprise as he noted a shadow tendril wrapped firmly around her waist. Using her power to propel herself forward was unforeseen but certainly not unwelcome in James’s book. People expected magic casters to be weak and easy pickings but if she used her resilience and chaotic nature to her advantage, she could be quite the threat. Just not a big enough one for her mentor to worry about. Turning on his heel, James spun in a full circle dragging his student around with him before tossing her at the rising form of Valerie. The two collided and were sent tumbling to the ground once again.
“Girls, I have to say I expected more. You have to use your heads not just your power.”
Valerie sat up and threw the dizzy form of Samantha off herself. She wanted to shout venom back at her uncle but couldn’t disagree with his assessment, they weren’t getting anywhere as they were. She roughly picked Samantha up off the ground and brought her close to discuss tactics.
“Samantha, come on you’re dragging us down here.”
That is if you considered insulting her fellow disciple a strategy meeting.
“Listen, I have an idea. Do you think you could-“
She quickly whispered out a plan to Samantha who nodded and grinned mischievously. The two ended their huddle standing back up almost exactly where they started. Valerie lowered her stance and prepared to charge one more time as Samantha stood still, concentrating. James watched the display hoping giving them some time to hash out a plan of action would lead to some new developments, yet it looked like both would simply go back to their previous tactic of using the other as a distraction. Disappointed, he decided to end today’s training by dismantling his pupils attacks one more time, he certainly didn’t want to be called out for any unfair treatment.
Valerie ran forward feeling the power of her aspect focused on her right hand and as she approached her uncle, she ground her heels into the dirt coming to a halt while rearing her arm back. The restraint surprised James until he realized what she was trying to do. Valerie fired her arm forward tossing her knife which spun through the air like a buzz saw towards its target. Shifting out of the way and catching the knife as it passed, almost nipping his ear, James felt a twinge of anger bubble up from his niece’s ridiculous move.
“What exactly do you think you-“
This time the teacher was cut off as his student tried to right hook his head from his shoulders. The wild haymaker missed as James fell back a step, the first time he had been on the back foot the entire fight. Valerie kept on her assault throwing punch after punch at her uncle who pivoted, dipped, and parried each blow while keeping her weapon just out of reach. He wondered what part Samantha would play as he caught a glimpse of her still standing completely still obscured by her cloak, or so her thought. The cloak suddenly dropped lifeless and empty as a metre long log was sent hurtling at mind boggling speeds towards the combatting family members. It flew straight and true like an arrow at James who was forced to kick away his niece and block the projectile with her weapon. There was a righteous boom that echoed out from the impact and forced the man back a step, his muscles straining from the force of the projectile. He managed to shift the tree trunk off course causing it to prematurely strike the ground and embed itself at his feet.
With a brief reprieve, James caught sight of a thin black tether extending out from the end of the log. Following the line, he saw the wildly twisting form of Samantha come rocketing towards him with her legs extended out. Tossing a log and then using the missile to drag her through the air was an outrageous, dangerous, ludicrous and ingenious idea. It was just unfortunate that Samantha’s aim was terrible, and she would miss her target by a head. Focused on the incoming human missile, James was unable to stop Valerie from coming up behind and wrapping her arms around his torso lifting him off the ground. The slight bump in height gave Samantha the target she needed, and her kick collided savagely against her teacher’s noggin. Valerie immediately followed up dragging her uncle backwards as they both fell, her iron grip unyielding. She arched her back and planted her feet, smashing her uncle into the ground headfirst. In a single second James was struck in the cranium by a flying oddity before being unceremoniously suplex’d into the earth by his beloved niece, the rapid attacks claiming victory and briefly causing the man the black out.
Staring up at the sky overhead, James lay flat, flabbergasted and lightly concussed from what just happened. He played back the last few seconds as he tried and failed to get his bearings. How had they coordinated such a plan in the moments they huddled together? More importantly, how did they know the other would play their part well enough to complete the hastily completed plan? The answer was they didn’t and simply guessed the other would fulfil their role, although neither could explain that right now. Squealing from nearby distracted James from his rattled mind and he peered up to find the most precious sight he had ever seen. His niece and Samantha were celebrating, clung to one another and jumping up and down. It was, he realized, the first time he had seen Samantha genuinely smile from sheer unfettered happiness. Victory was a reward everyone savoured and no matter her quirks, Samantha couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the feeling of success. Valerie too was swept up in the rush, it had been so long since she’d beaten her uncle ofcourse she would be overjoyed. Neither cared about the injured form of their mentor as they celebrated which was alright in his opinion. While his head ached and upper body thrummed, in that moment James felt more content than he had in a long time.