Saoirse looked at Camila as if her heart were gutted and laid out on the table before her. "So," she asked, "if I asked you to kill and hunt your own kind to prove your loyalty to humanity, would you do it?"
Camila turned her gaze away, a look of shame crossing her face. "I've never killed anyone before, not even an animal."
"You will need to serve many years before the king and the clergy recognize you as a citizen," Saoirse replied. "But I believe in you, Camila. Although your kind is extinct in this country, they run rampant, terrorizing the land in less developed vassal states. You're the only one of your kind I have seen who isn't, for lack of better terms, animalistic. But I see you for who you are as well, not just what you are."
Camila nodded. "Thank you."
"We will begin training you and your brother in the martial discipline of this nation tomorrow."
John's eyes were glazed, his mind seemingly possessed by the nightmares. A dark hatred briefly usurped his love for Camila, for she was one of these entities. "Will I have to witness what I saw in the village again?" John asked, his voice trembling.
Saoirse glanced at John, her eyes cold and tinged with despair. "Every day… every day," she whispered.
John looked down, his mind a battleground of hatred and love, haunted by the nightmares of his past and the emotional turmoil of his present. "Go get some sleep," Saoirse said softly. "You're going to need it."
In the morning The halls echoed with the weight of saoirse steps that Mirrored the desolate expanse of her heart; which no song or jest can fill . however with a muted strength, her heart sung through her voice; she sung with the pitch of a bird that was once free now delegated to the confinements of bureaucracy. Thus she sung
Symphony of a broken heart, which was betrayed by its own innocence, saved by its own corruption. One possesses a squalid soul, illuminated by the spark of divinity, which is perceived through my inner world, allowing me to gaze upon the shadow of my heart. Trapped between my roots and my leaves that sprout, I grapple with none other than myself .
At breakfast, Camila and John sat there awkwardly. Camila tried to break the silence. "I heard you singing this morning as you were walking through the hallways, Saoirse. It was beautiful."
But the silence did not waver. Saoirse resumed her enthusiastic demeanor and clapped her hands together, her hood veiling her puffy eyes. I hope you kids are ready for your lessons You have read, Arrhythmic and my favorite alchemy
Clashes of swords and the wails of men interrupt the heartfelt moment "It appears our guests have arrived," she says with malice hidden behind her warm smile."
In the courtyard of the administration building, bodies lay seemingly chained together. At the head of this coiled hydra stood four men. Saoirse muttered to herself, "I hope the incantation they're doing works." She removed her robes, revealing a web of intricate tattoos. On her forearms rested vambraces, and on her hip was a sleeve containing talismans. The men stared at her, the tension between them palpable. Saoirse broke the silence with a playful tone, "Hello there. The nearest whorehouse is in that direction. I'm sure if you ask around, you'll find your way."
The men remained silent. Saoirse took this as an indication of their stature. Finally, the tension was released, and the men charged toward her. Saoirse knew she had 30 talismans, but her spells would likely be disrupted at least 10 times before she could fully cast them. This left her with only 10 spells to divide among the four men, with no guarantee that more enemies wouldn't appear.
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As they approached, Saoirse began chanting to activate the seals on her body. She pulled out a talisman, and the seals projected around her arms, merging with the paper talismans. A blazing inferno contained within a disc erupted, but without the incantation, the spell wouldn't be able to be used at range . Saoirse by activating her taotoes, spewed fire from her feet, igniting the ground and burning her shoes. The men backed away, and one pulled out a bow, beginning a chant. Saoirse assessed the chant's nature and realized it was a rudimentary homing spell.
She could counter it with her own chant, but she needed to control the disc through a spell. As the men circled her, they recognized her strategy and rushed her. Saoirse held the disc with one hand, weaving and blocking with her vambraces while switching the disc between hands and chanting.
When the man with the bow finished his chant, Saoirse pivoted, positioning the disc behind her back so the homing arrow struck him instead. The three men who had attacked her saw their blades melt against the flaming disc. With their lethality reduced, Saoirse decided to conserve her resources for potential future battles.
A brief moment after her men's incantations were completed; all the men she was fighting dropped to the ground unconscious.
After the brief encounter, the men were rounded up; They were then placed in prison for interrogations.
While a pungent eeriness choked them, Camila and John Were hidden; In their room in the closets; As they heard footsteps, Desolation began to permeate their consciousness; it was a fog that obscured and consumed all.
The closet doors opened; They cowered before their fear as there was a bright sun; however, they were greeted with warm arms and outstretched. Sunrays peeked over the horizon, scaring the beast that dwelled within the night away
"Camila…John." Cornelius says, his face shrouded by the weight of his dead men, "it's safe now;" He stands there, his compassion shining through the congealed blood on his face.
The next day, Saoirse summoned John and Camila to the central courtyard. The courtyard had a stone floor stretched across the center, with people walking to and from their destinations. A murder of crows was perched atop the arch of the roof, an omen for the death of the self.
"Today," Saoirse said enthusiastically "I'm going to teach you about the basics through a series of lectures" Camila and John looked at her with confusion. Then they realized what Soairse was referring to
"You're going to teach us Magic?" they say, their eyes lighting up like a bag of gunpowder.
Saoirse smiles. "Don't get ahead of yourself" she says giggling at their excitement. "But for now, I need to see what I'm working with" She pulls two wooden swords from behind her back; "this is not a test of skill but a test of intuition. I don't expect you to know how to wield one." Saoirse approaches John and Camila; Calmness radiating from her posture. She hands each of them a sword, then promptly returns to her position
John and Camila pick up the wooden swords
When they are in position saoirse instructs them to begin
John assumes ox guard immediately; in response to this Camila goes to longshot guard, attempting to gauge John's reaction and keep him from rushing in. John takes note of this; Respecting his sister's blade moves his sword down toward Foof attempting to butt Camila's weapon down so he can assume ox guard then thrusts his weapon forward and finish this duel, but Camila retreats her guard to behind her in the tail guard; As they begin feeling each other out they circle around each other slowly "alright I've seen enough" Saoirse chimes in "whoever taught you must have been very good"
That leaves a large portion of combat out of the way, but what about the discipline of the four limbs Jhon and Camila look at each other confounded. "I'm kidding; we don't actually call it that. We call it wrestling or grappling
I will give you guys the basics
Saoirse instructs Camila and John on Mount, Side control, north-south, and guard; She then instructs them on their respective transitions, and at the end of it all, she lectures them on everything that they can expect to learn going forward
": it's all about positioning and getting into the correct position," Saoirse says " I akin it to a game of chess where each move position and variation of said position opens up an array of moves one can do; some moves even open up an array of fall back moves but just as the battle is waged through essence, the material the battle is waged through the mind the immaterial; everything I just described applies in the general's tent in regards to warfare, as well as diplomacy and negotiations; all of these interlocked with each other and at the core of every conflict every fight, is a resource within the space you and the adversary, are occupying; the most important part of any confrontation is recognizing which resource you are trying to occupy and acknowledging whether it will aid you or harm you to obtain it. Right, that concludes this morning's lessons; its time for lunch.