A week went by with Vulcan being put through hell as his body couldn’t keep up with the exercises. He showed his determination by persevering through it all to the weekend. While the mornings are full of training, the afternoon are classes taught by Duck. He isn’t super knowledgeable but knows enough in each subject to pass it down coherently. Duck is firm when it comes to them being smart. He wants them to have as many options as possible when it comes to being what they want.
The days were long and hard but Duck was encouraging through it all. Vulcan could tell that he had been doing this for a while. He’s been curious about Duck for some time now but hasn’t had a chance to get to know him. That was until one night.
Vulcan was fast asleep in his room until he was forced awake by the sound of thumping. It wasn’t very loud but it was quite annoying to sleep to. He got out of bed, sneaking through the empty hallway of the dojo. The pupil eventually made it to the back where the thumping was much louder. He stepped out of the dojo where they usually go for jogs. Vulcan eventually saw what was causing the noise.
Duck faced away from him with a tree to his right. A branch hung low above him as he had a log hanging in front of him. The teacher wore no shirt, revealing burn marks all across his back. Vulcan stayed quiet as Duck punched away at the log in front of him. Duck was slamming his fists against the wood with no protection, using his bare fists.
His strikes started to become sharper and stronger with each blow to the log. Duck pulled back one more punch before splitting the log in half. He stood there in silence before turning.
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Vulcan stayed in the shadows, thinking he’d be hidden but Duck called him out, “I can see you.” Duck said as he dried himself off with a towel. Vulcan sighed in failure before stepping closer to his teacher.
“What are you doing up?” Duck asked, slipping on a shirt to hide his past.
Vulcan ignored the question, “How did you get those scars?” Duck stared at his pupil. It was clear he didn’t want to answer.
“Uh, nevermind. Sorry for interrupting.” Vulcan turned to leave but Ducks voice stopped him.
“They’re from battles.” The young man turned, watching as Duck sat down on a stump. Duck left enough space for Vulcan to sit which he took.
“You used to fight?” Duck chuckled with a mixed expression. His smirk showed how much he enjoyed it while his eyes portrayed the pain he went through.
“Yeah, I used to be a Paladin. The great heroes that protect the people.”
He couldn’t believe that Duck used to be one of the many Paladins in Coalesce.
“Wow, what made you stop?” Vulcan questioned with glee. It was exciting getting to know someone better. Especially when they gave him a home. Duck stood up suddenly after the last question.
“Sometimes stopping is better than moving forward into a place you’re not ready for.” He gave very obvious hints that he didn’t want to keep talking about the topic. Even Vulcan could see this and didn’t press on.
“It's late, you should get some rest. You’ll need all the energy you can get tomorrow.” Duck walked off with no further words.
Vulcan thought about how Duck acted, ‘He seems to dislike his past a lot. I should be careful when bringing up anything’ Vulcan told himself before heading back to his room to sleep.