Corrin blinked as a chunk of stone belatedly crumbled from where the hammer had struck. It cracked twice against the spire as it fell into the grass and vanished.
Seriously… that power is just absurd.
He wasn’t exactly frightened though, it wasn’t like the hammer had been aimed at him. The spearman it had been aimed for on the other hand was seemingly petrified, the message had come through clearly. He was to shut up and listen. Corrin understood the trouble with that though, it could be so hard sometimes.
Tor turned away from the group and cleared his throat. “Well, I guess I can skip the rest for now, there’s plenty of time to go and you’ve both got enough to think about.”
“Thank you for the time sir,” Wyn bowed. “How would you have us train?”
“Great question! For right now that’s going to depend on you. Are you able to feel your aura? Did you get anything out of that shock?”
Wyn frowned. “I think I felt it, but only for an instant before I passed out. I can’t feel it any longer.”
“Hmm, in that case it's probably best if we don’t strain your soul much more right now. It’s likely just a matter of time before you get it—we can try again tomorrow. In the meantime, train however you see fit. Do not fight for the next hour or so though while you recover. That would be counterproductive, and I trust you to use your own judgment when deciding if you are healthy enough.”
“I understand… Thank you sir.”
“Corrin. I have a different task for you.” He waved a hand towards the spearman. “Ayden come here.”
Corrin sized up the young man as Tor called out to him. He was perhaps a year Corrin’s senior, with long reddish-brown hair and sharp eyes. He wore a ragged brown cloak over a tight short sleeved undershirt that revealed a lean warrior’s frame. His spear, rather than metal, was tipped with some sort of tooth, several inches long and dangerously sharp.
Corrin wondered what kind of tooth it was, could it be a grass drake? Maybe, but he’d have to see it up close to have any idea. Either way, he thought having a tooth-tipped spear was awesome, and for a moment he wished he’d found a way to keep his bone-sword. But it hadn’t been practical with how unbalanced it was.
The spearman, Ayden, shook the look of shock off his face and strode forward. He seemed to be eyeing Corrin just the same, spinning his spear in his hand. He looked like he wanted to speak, but he glanced at Tor for a moment and restrained himself.
Then Tor spoke again. “Corrin, this is Ayden, the leader of The Grass Sentinels. He’s pretty good with that spear, so I’d like to have you learn from him over the next two weeks.”
That was a bit surprising, he would’ve assumed the old archer was the leader, was Tor wrong or was this spearman really the one in charge? Corrin raised an eyebrow. “An adventurer from Precipice? How much can I really learn?”
Ayden’s eyes widened. “Now hang on, what are you—!”
Tor held up a hand, Ayden’s eyes burned as he clamped his mouth shut. “He’s stronger than you Corrin, and a more experienced fighter. From what you told me, you and Wyn are most experienced in fighting monsters, but you haven’t had any real challengers besides each other for the last several years.”
“That’s… correct,” Corrin admitted grudgingly. Elders Terris and Irym had provided some challenge until two years prior, but he and Wyn had been the strongest in Straetum since they were thirteen. That didn’t leave much room for challenge.
“I’ll put it simply then. That has made you weak!” Tor threw his hands out to the side as he raised his voice, speaking to all those present. “The strong are always seeking out a greater challenge! A true warrior has lost more battles than any of you have fought! He never grows complacent, and is always sharpening his blade, testing it against different opponents, so that he is prepared for any situation. Ayden! When was the last time you fought an ash channeler?”
The spearman shifted awkwardly. “I—I have not. But that’s not fair! There are no—”
“And Corrin! When was the last time you fought a spearman on your level? The last time you truly felt the challenges the weapon presents?”
“Four… almost five years now.” Corrin glanced to the side.
But how is that my fault? He complained in his mind. There was no one in Straetum strong enough!
“A sailor is not made in calm seas! Nor is steel forged in weak fires! If you wish to grow stronger, then fight! Lose a thousand times until there is no one left to defeat you, and then weep for the fact that there is nowhere higher to climb! I have brought you fresh opponents, now use them!”
Corrin’s eyes caught on Ayden’s, and they stared at each other for a moment.
Then, Corrin drew his blade, and it sang its way out of the sheathe, glinting dangerously in the light of the morning sun. He took a breath and let mana flow into his body, breath after breath. Ayden whirled his spear around, his eyes burning.
He pointed the tip forwards. “Swordsman! I challenge you!”
Corrin grinned. “I accept.”
Tor grunted. “Let’s stick to blunt weapons please.”
Both paused mid-step, nodding at each other, and Corrin couldn’t help but chuckle. What had he been doing? Either way, he still had the waster he’d brought for sparring with Wyn, so he strode across the deck and picked it back up. When he looked back, the spearman was wrapping the tip of his spear in a leather cover. He pulled the string tight and held the spear out once again.
“Whenever you’re ready.” He glanced back towards the rest of his party, who were watching with only mild interest.
The distraction lasted only a second, but Corrin didn’t let the opportunity pass by. He shot forwards, power surging into his arms. He swung right as it reached its peak, it was a good swing, and the mana would peak at just the right time for one of his explosive strikes.
I’ll end it in one strike.
Ayden whirled back around and his spear thrust up, straight towards Corrin’s face. Its range was greater than his sword’s, he would get struck first! He twisted, avoiding the thrust by a hair. He swung anyway, but the timing was off, and it was weak. Ayden blocked with the butt of the spear and brought the tip back around, stepping back to keep Corrin on the edge of its range as he thrust again.
Corrin found himself on the back foot, dodging away from the edge as the spearman began to press him.
Shit, he’s fast.
The attacks weren’t overwhelming as Tor’s had been, but Ayden was skilled, and with his extra reach he could attack with impunity. Corrin had to get inside his guard, but that was a lot harder when you weren’t faster than the other guy by a wide margin.
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He ducked under a strike towards his head and rolled to the side as the shaft came crashing down. Still it hunted him, chasing his movement like a trained hound as it swept across the deck. He blocked, but he wouldn’t be able to capitalize from his crouched position. Corrin felt the weak impact of the blow and he relaxed to roll away again.
Then the spear hit his sword. Like an echo of the impact, except stronger, the spear somehow seemed to hit twice. He’d already relaxed his body though, and it caught him completely off guard. The leather tip of the spear clipped his shoulder and he tumbled across the deck.
He cursed and channeled mana to his eyes. It was stupid of him not to, but he hadn’t thought about it with the fight beginning so quickly. He had just fought off instinct.
Ayden was standing casually where he’d hit Corrin. “You looked stronger. What is your game Tor? What good is this going to be for me? Does he even know any techniques?”
Corrin ignored him, and in his mana sight, the world was revealed to him. Ayden didn’t have a layer of armor like Tor had. Instead, only a small trail of mana, like a comet, circled around his body. His spear though, was covered in a thin coat of light blue mana from handle to tip That must have been the cause of the double impact.
Just how much was there that he didn’t know? Corrin shook the thought from his head. He watched the spearman intently.
Focus on now. What do I know right now? He has some sort of double attack, and he’s on my level physically. The first impact was weak, I’ll assume that was mana. If I can anticipate it, I’ll be fine. But I can’t let him control the fight.
If he fought a battle of distance and attrition against a spear, he’d lose. There was no choice but to be aggressive.
He dashed forwards again, aiming to get inside Ayden’s guard. He blocked the first attack, and he was in. Ayden jumped back, but Corrin was faster, keeping inside the tip of the spear.
Ayden didn’t panic though, and met Corrin head on, adjusting his grip on the spear so he was able to parry the blade. Now he was wielding it like a staff, battling back and forth with Corrin in close combat. The spear danced in his hands, catching each blow as they flowed from one clash into the next.
“You’re good with that thing,” Corrin grunted as wood cracked against wood.
“Aren’t I?” The spearman grinned.
It was an understatement, Ayden was the best he’d ever met with a spear. Perhaps that wasn’t saying much, but only then did he realize it. Not counting Tor, the only two people he’d ever fought that were so skilled were Wyn and Din Kai.
Still, his sword had an advantage at this range. Corrin lunged, striking at Ayden’s chest, and he watched in shock as mana smoothly flowed together like water just before it connected. His sword hit the small section of blue armor and the force dissipated harmlessly—Ayden didn’t react at all. In fact it seemed he’d been waiting for it, as he’d already shifted the grip on his spear to shorten its range, and he stabbed Corrin's stomach.
The mana on Ayden’s spear lit up and Corrin watched the upper part of the shaft burst with power before slamming into him. He felt the double impact again, but stronger, as he recoiled from the hit of mana, and then collapsed as the spear followed immediately after.
Corrin gasped as the wind got knocked out of him and he collapsed onto the deck.
“And that’s a win for Ayden!” Tor announced loudly. “About what I expected.”
The spearman clicked his tongue, looking down at Corrin. “Of course. He didn’t mantle at all, it wasn’t even fair. What’s the point in sparring if I didn’t even have to use half my techniques?”
Tor ignored him, walking over to Corrin and offering a hand. “How do you feel boy?”
Corrin grit his teeth. Ayden had hardly broken a sweat, and the only time Corrin had gotten close to landing a blow had been a trap. His side ached as he put pressure on it. What a pathetic performance.
Damn it.
“Feel like I got my ass kicked.”
“Hah! That you did. But that’s to be expected. The important part is, what did you learn?”
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to think through the frustration. The double impact, the armor, they’d been the difference in the fight, if only for catching him off guard. “I need to learn how to use mana outside my body in combat. You let me take my time during our fight, but without time to concentrate, I couldn’t use it here.”
Tor nodded. “Using mana outside your body is what we call ‘mantling’. Remember that, and take it to heart. I have two tasks for you to complete over the next two weeks Corrin. The first, is to create a technique of your own—some application of mana beyond basic strengthening. It doesn’t have to be complex or mastered, but it must exist.”
“So he doesn’t have a single technique!” Ayden scoffed. “This is a joke.”
“The second,” Tor continued. “Is to defeat Ayden in a duel. If you cannot complete those two tasks in the next two weeks, you might as well give up on becoming a spirit knight. The students taking the entrance exam make both of you look like children swinging sticks in the forest.”
The spearman stiffened, a strained smile broke out on his face, then he started to laugh. “A spirit knight? You’ve got to be kidding me. You think this kid has any chance of beating me in two weeks? That’s cruel Tor. What, you want me to go easy on him or something?”
“Go as hard as you’d like,” Tor said. “Whether he succeeds or fails is up to him. Personally though, I think he’ll be just fine.”
Ayden choked.
Corrin stared at the spearman whose face was contorting with indignation. He wasn’t a saint like Wyn pretended to be, and Ayden was begging to be taken down a peg—he would relish in being the person to do it. Worrying about whether or not he could do something was a waste of time, and if Tor thought he could, then he had no reason for doubt. He smirked, throwing a condescending look right back. “Two weeks? Consider it done.”
Their eyes met, and the spearman’s face burned with rage. “Fine. If you want to talk big, I’m more than happy to break that ego of yours.”
Tor clapped his hands. “Perfect! Sounds like you two will get along great. In that case, I should get going, I have a battalion to run. You can continue using the skiff, just try not to break anything, and stay away from the ballista. Nereus can you keep an eye on things here?”
The mage, who’d been silent for a long time, deadpanned. “No. I’ll be returning to my research now. Wyn, you should accompany me.” Then, without waiting for a response, the mage walked off the ship and headed for town.
Wyn pointed to himself, “You want me to—” He looked at Tor for approval.
Tor nodded. “That’s fine, I did say to train however you see fit. If you want to go with Nereus, then you can. But Corrin, I expect you to stay here, along with the rest of you.” He gave the others a harsh look.
Wyn glanced at the adventurers, then at Nereus. Finally he looked over at Corrin. “Kick his ass.”
Corrin chuckled. “Will do. Let’s get stronger, whatever it takes.”
“Right.” Wyn grinned, then ran after Nereus.
Tor nodded. “Good. Alright, good luck to the rest of you.” He turned to leave as well.
“Hey! What the hell are we supposed to do here huh?” Ayden shouted. “Sit on our asses and wait for this kid to learn the basics? Like hell I’m doing that! I’m going back to the tavern!”
The adventurers muttered some assent except the older man, who only nodded as though he’d expected it. The short mage was looking at Nereus and Wyn wistfully while the girl in armor simply seemed bored.
“Have you figured out that technique I showed you yet?” Tor asked.
Ayden shrunk a bit. “Well, no but—”
“Then I don’t want to hear any complaints. You lot are getting paid good money to be here, and you’ll obey my orders as long as you are. I expect you all to be as strong as possible for the hunt, don’t disappoint me. I’ll be back at lunchtime in a few hours. If you insist on leaving then, you can. For now, train.”
The spirit knight glanced off the side of the ship, considering something for a moment. Then he jumped. He crossed the hundred-foot gap between them and the nearest pillar with ease, then leapt again to the next one. After two more, he was gone.
Corrin watched him go, he had more power in one jump than Corrin had in his entire body, and at that moment, he felt his chest burning. He thought about the students at the academy, the ones Tor had described. How much stronger would they be? The distance between his power and theirs was likely as vast as Aeora itself. Tor was right, if he couldn’t overcome a minor obstacle like Ayden, then he didn’t have a chance. Winning in two weeks wouldn’t be enough.
And with that in mind, Corrin set a new goal for himself.
The skiff was now empty save for him and the four adventurers, one of whom looked ready to attack him at the drop of a hat. Well, nothing he could do about that. Without a word, he plopped down into a sitting position. Two weeks until the hunt. Two weeks to prove himself. He closed his eyes and took a breath.
Power the color of ash filled his lungs. It wasn’t enough, but soon, it would be more.