Dreiki met her eyes, “Sancta Xirxus, correct?” He said.

“Good, your memory works.”

“I would actually be more than happy to teach you what I know. I’m grateful the heiress of the Xirxus clan has recognized my skills enough to humble herself as a student.”

Sancta huffed, “As if I am beneath you in this. You’re more like a textbook than a teacher. Just write it down.”

“From what I recall, you had chosen to abstain from the war games, is that true?”

“...It is.”

“Would you mind if I asked why?”

“This petty squabble is nothing more than something for kids to impress their parents with, or goof off. There’s no substance to it, and my talents as a healer lie with knowledge, not combat.”

“So you’re dedicated to being a healer? That is most laudable.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that.”

And yet Dreiki could see his flattery was working, “Like I said, I would be happy to teach you everything I know. You could even take it further than someone of my meager talents ever could. However, my grandfather would be bitter if he discovered I or any of my companions were harmed or killed here in camp while selling his wares.”

Sancta looked at him with an untrusting glare, “So you want something from me do you? Speak.”

“I teach you the methodology for making these potions, you use that knowledge to protect us all.”

“I see, so you want a trade. How greedy you are. As if I would stoop to giving equal terms to someone like you.”

“You had great praise for my potion until you realized who made it. The fact is, if we do not trade, then I do not teach you. If I do not teach you, then you will not learn the methodology for the other potions, nor anything my grandfather knows.”

“I could simply force the answers out of you,” Sancta said coldly.

Dreiki knew that was a bluff. She had no power here, “It would be far easier to accept the trade. When it comes to my grandfather’s work, I am serious.”

“Fine, then you best hope your usefulness to me lasts.”

“You’ll want to keep us around and in good health. If we have an amicable relationship, I could put in a good word for my grandfather to teach you more than I ever could.”

She squinted at him, “I’ll give you my answer tomorrow, then. Amaro, I’m going to return to my tent, you’re free to do as you please.”

Tadios punched his hand, looking at Amaro with a grin. Amaro shook his head, “Another time, big guy. Anitus wants the first try.”

He spared one last glance back at Dreiki before leaving. Rixam breathed a sigh of relief, “What a shit show. So that’s what the Xirxus are like, huh? They really are born different. Why’d you end up telling them you made those potions? ”

Dreiki shrugged, “It would have been more troublesome if we looked like we had something to hide, I think. If someone had tampered with the potions and they could tell whether or not we were lying, then it would look worse on us in the end right?”

“I guess you’re right. If we kept lying under those circumstances we would’ve been blamed anyway. But why tell them that you’re the one who made them?”

“I’d like to say ‘because it gives us leverage’, but the real reason is because she pissed me off.” Dreiki muttered.

Rixam laughed, “Even someone like you gets angry from time to time huh?”

“How do you mean? I get angry plenty of times.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you mad. And if you have been, you’ve got a good poker face.”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“All that aside, you were sayin’ somethin’ earlier right?” Tadios said.

Dreiki turned to him, “I was…” He cupped his chin.

“Did you forget?”

“No it’s not that. How do I say this? I know what we shouldn’t do with our time, but I don’t know what else we can do. Does that make sense?”

Tadios nodded, “I guess so, but if you don’t have any other suggestions for winning this thing, we’re just gonna have to keep training.”

Dreiki hardly heard what he was saying. His mind was racing, searching for an answer to their predicament. A way out, a tactic, or strategy. He just did not know enough about the Tibur, or the enemy team. Not to mention, even if he could think of a viable strategy, convincing the other members of his team to follow his demands would be next to impossible.

He had to find something he could do. Something the five of them together could contribute which turned the tides of their war game. Was it even his job to help them win in the first place?

Even though Dreiki wanted to help Tadios, it’s not as if anyone else believed in or expected much from them. It would be a lot easier, and a lot safer for them, if they just trained and contributed nothing to the cause.

And yet, Dreiki could not bring himself to give up on the idea. Even if Tadios was content with the current course, Dreiki kept remembering the looks people gave him in camp. He wanted to be seen with respect and admiration. His soul burned to be recognized as someone with value by those who had seen nothing in him before.

In a way, if he allowed them to lose here, he would only be proving them all right. In fact, he would be proving the small voice in the back of his mind that agreed with them, and that was the worst of it.

In the middle of their sparring match, Dreiki felt something wash over him. It was a sense of calm and focus unlike anything he had experienced before. Just like Rixam could not do more than his best, the same was true for him. He lost himself in the fight, his heart thrumming along to the rhythm of battle.

That’s when he saw it. Something he had mistaken as the distortion of air caused by Tadios’s fire magic. An invisible force was surrounding him, ebbing and flowing along with his strikes. That same energy wrapped Dreiki as well.

Could it be?

By the time the sun went down, Dreiki, Rixam, and Gornax were utterly exhausted. Even Ezo, a ball of energy, was looking for a place in the snow to catch its breath.

“Y’know, Argo,” Tadios said, “You’re pretty fun to fight.”

“Why’s that?”

“I dunno. You’re not real strong or nothin’. But the way you fight is smart. I end up getting caught by you the most.”

As far as Dreiki could remember, every time he had exploited an opening, it had not affected him.

“If you had just a bit more power behind your strikes, I think you’d be pretty dangerous. Your technique is better than mine, and you’ve got a good sense of angles. Even though I know your strikes don’t do much to me I still end up falling for your feints too.”

Dreiki couldn’t stop himself from smiling, “Thank you.” It was bittersweet, though. Even if he knew how to do that, the difference in power and speed was just too great to matter.

“Now I understand what you were talking about before. What you’re lacking isn’t technique, it’s everything else. Rixam and Gornax, the two of you will benefit from continuing to spar with me, but Dreiki you’ve got other things to focus on. Heck you might be able to teach me a thing or two.”

Teach him something? But what could he teach? He remembered what he saw earlier. That distortion in the air around his body. The way he effortlessly moved about without disturbing the snow. It was too many signs to be a coincidence.

“Tadios, this is a weird question, but are you able to see in the dark?”

“There’s not a Tibur out there huntin’ who can’t.”

That confirmed it for him, Tadios knew how to utilize Ux, but the question was whether or not he knew what it was, “When you move in the snow, you don’t kick any of it up. How do you do that?”

Tadios put his knuckle on his chin in thought, “Never thought of it before. I suppose I just saw my dad doing the same thing when I was really young. At some point after he died I just started doing it. It comes in handy when I need to hunt.”

“I see. Well, give me one week. I might be able to think of something I can teach you.”

“Why one week?”

“By then I should be able to master it myself. Keep training with Rixam and Gornax. I have a lot of things to figure out if we’re going to win this thing.”

“You’ve also gotta teach that Xirxus girl too right?”

Dreiki nodded, “I’m going to try and convince her to join our side. Until then, I think the best course of action is to focus on defense. Can you convince the Tibur to stall the other team? Run from fights, set traps, and pick them off when they chase.”

“Sounds like a cowardly tactic to me.”

“I only need one week. We need to retain as many of our teammates as possible until then. Just last night they took out nine of your stronger Tibur right? Even Nihilik.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“Think of it this way, the more you put off fighting, the more excited you’ll be when you finally get to let loose right? If you can convince the others to go on the defensive this week, I promise we can win this.”

“For a Noxa you’re pretty tactical. Alright then, I’ll put my trust in you. No promises I can convince them, though.”

“That’s all I can ask you for.” He looked to Rixam and Gornax, “I’m taking Ezo with me. Learn all you can from Tadios.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to learn how to read,” Dreiki grinned.