A clear blue sky stretched out over the forest. Blazing sunshine beat down against the treetops, whose budding leaves drank in their warmth. The world was coming alive with the arrival of summer: the days were growing longer, the weather was becoming warmer, and the vegetation was breaking free of its spring slump and bursting with new life.
A family of deer stood in the brush, grazing on a nearby shrub; two tiny fawns hobbled over to the lowest branches and tugged at the leaves whilst their parents stood guard. There then came a sound that drifted through the tree line — soft at first— but which continued to grow louder. Finally, a high pitch thwack rang through the woodland. Startled, the deer skittered off into the brush. Meanwhile, away in the distance, two people were arguing with one another.
“Ellis, stop. You’re gonna break it.”
“The point is to hit it, Mary.”
“Except you’re not doin’ it right. You need the form. But you’re just swinging it as hard as you can.”
“Ugh!”
Ellis threw the wooden sword onto the ground.
“This is boring!”
Mary looked at the sword lying there in the grass. She relaxed her grip on the string and held the bow loosely in her hands.
“It’s training, Ellis. We gotta do what he says.”
“How does anyone get good doing this?” he whined. Ellis leaned against the training post and rested his arms on the pieces of wood that protruded from it.
Mary rolled her neck in frustration.
“Ellis, you know how good Telhari is. If he says we gotta do it, then we gotta do it.” She snatched up an arrow and loaded it into position. Falling into rhythm, she drew the bow string back and released it. The arrow hummed as it flew through the air, missing the target on the tree and disappearing into the forest.
Mary frowned.
“C’mon, Mary. You’re getting bored too— don’t pretend.”
She tossed the bow on the ground in frustration.
“I just need a break is all.”
“Where is he anyways?”
She shrugged her shoulders.
Mary walked over to the shade of a nearby tree and pulled out her waterskin. She took a swig and then leaned against the tree.
“Why’s it so hot today?”
Ellis came over to her and held out his hand. She tossed him the waterskin and he drank from it before plopping down on the ground.
“How long have we been at this, now?”
“Dunno? A few weeks for you, a bit more for me.”
Ellis leaned back on his arms and threw his head back, looking up at the underside of the canopy.
“I still can’t believe you convinced him to let you train,” Mary said, suddenly. “How are the studies coming along?”
“The what?”
Mary looked at him with confusion and opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut short by the sound of footsteps approaching from the tree line. A few seconds later, Telhari appeared, carrying a small box that had a savory aroma wafting from it.
Ellis and Marybeth shot up and ran over to him.
“I brought some lun—”
He was unable to finish his sentence before the two snatched the steaming bread from inside the box. Ellis bit into his and chewed ravenously.
“Oh! It’s got meat inside!”
“It’s roasted pork,” Telhari clarified.
Mary chewed hers slowly, speaking between bites.
“Mhm…I’ve never tasted it like this before. What’s that flavor?”
“These were actually made by special request. It’s a recipe I learned from a friend of mine who lives far from here. His people have a special way of preparing their pork that makes it taste exceptional.”
Ellis reached in and grabbed another.
“It took some convincing,” Telhari continued over the sound of their open-mouthed chewing, “But eventually the baker decided to give it a try for me.”
Ellis shoved the new piece into his mouth after having eaten only half of the first piece. He tried to reach for a third, but Mary pushed him out of the way and took her second. She held the bread in her hand like a precious gem and eyed it lovingly.
“Don’t be greedy, Ellis.”
Telhari put the box on the ground near their other supplies and took one piece of bread for himself.
“I am glad you like them.”
He surveyed the training area, spotting the wooden sword lying haphazardly on the ground.
“I trust you were continuing your drills while I was gone?”
Mary and Ellis looked at each other.
“…Yeah,” Mary said.
Ellis said nothing.
Telhari walked in front of them and folded his arms.
“I thought that we were trusting each other?”
There was no hiding from him.
“Well,” Ellis started, “I just…I’m just sorta bored, is all.”
“You are bored of training?”
Ellis tightened his shoulders, trying desperately to think of way to explain.
“I’m not bored with training! It’s just that…the training…”
“Is boring?”
Ellis deflated.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Without saying another word, he made his way over to where he left the wooden sword and picked it up off the ground. A few seconds later, the area was filled with the cracking sound of the sword striking the training post. Telhari watched Ellis perform his strikes one at a time. His foot position was fine to start, but he was not following through with his body movements. There was a precision to his motion when he struck the post below or at waist level, but anything above that and he was sloppy. Overall, he was doing well, but Telhari could tell from his posture and his facial expression that his heart was somewhere else.
“He’s just bein’ annoying is all,” Mary said. “Ellis is always like this.”
“What do you mean?” Telhari asked, turning toward her.
She brushed the breadcrumbs off her shirt and put her hands on her hips.
“I’ve known Ellis since we was kids. He’s always been bad at following rules. Sometimes he’s great, and he’s smart, and he get’s stuff quicker than I ever could. But other times, he just can’t do it. Then he starts getting mad. He makes a big stink and then gives up.”
Telhari thought to himself.
“Perhaps, he doesn’t truly want to learn?”
“He does! Honest he does. He just…I dunno, he just can’t get a hang of it, is all.”
“I’ve used this training method with hundreds of students, and it always yields positive results.”
Mary thought about it.
“Maybe humans are different?”
Telhari watched Ellis as he moved through his stances. Mary may have been partially correct. If all humans learned differently than elfkin, then the training wouldn’t work for her. But she was progressing well— maybe even a bit fast. So why was Ellis struggling? Was it really just boredom? If that was the case…
“Alright then,” Telhari said, “Let’s make it fun.”
“What do you mean?” Mary asked.
Telhari gave no answer.
Instead, he walked around the perimeter of the training ground until he was behind Ellis and out of his view. Then, he drew the blade from his back and pointed it towards Ellis. Telhari began to chant, and the blade soon rippled with myriad colors that moved across the polished metal surface. Mary felt the air change as she had on that night in Malendar’s Edge and she knew then that Telhari was performing magic. Ellis, too, knew the feeling; and, after sensing it, he stopped himself mid swing. Ellis turned around, tracing the sensation, until he saw Telhari with the tip of his blade pointed towards him.
“Telhari!? What— ”
“ELLIS LOOK OUT!”
Ellis felt a rush of air as something closed in on him from behind. He spun around and caught the motion of a weapon sweeping towards his body. He brought the wooden sword upward, but his elbow nearly collapsed under the weight of the impact. He adjusted his body, sank into his stance, and placed both of his hands on the handle of the wooden sword. It was too late to properly parry the attack, but he had enough strength to prevent the impact from striking his face.
Ellis staggered back from the blow and nearly tripped over himself. Suddenly remembering his foot placement, he readjusted his body and took a look at the enemy.
“What the hell is that!?”
The wooden post was moving.
It was alive!
He watched as the lengths of wood used to simulate the arms of an enemy soldier began swinging themselves slowly back and forth— taunting him.
Ellis whipped his head around to yell at his teacher.
“Telhari!? What did you do!?”
“Don’t watch me, Ellis. There is an enemy before you.”
Ellis gulped.
He heard the splintering of wood behind him, and he turned back in time to move away from an advancing swing from the wooden arm. He looked down in surprise; the training post had split its lower half and grown legs of its own. The legs weren’t just functional, they were set one in front of the other, with the back turned slightly outward. Its body was centered and the arm that extended towards him was supported by its stance. The post had come alive. And it was imitating him.
No…not just imitating.
It had a better stance than he did.
It was doing what Ellis should have been doing.
He gripped the hilt of his sword and stared at the post, grinding his teeth in frustration.
“As if I’d lose to a stupid piece of wood!”
Ellis rushed toward the training post and swung at it from the right— his dominant side. The training post brought up the left arm quickly and intercepted Ellis’ strike. The ballistic force rang through Ellis’ arms and shook his body. In a flash, the training post switched its foot position and withdrew the left arm at the same time as it thrust the right arm forward. Ellis, still reeling from the parry, barely had enough time to bring his own sword back in front of him in order to block a direct hit. His upper body managed to react, but his lower body was sluggish. The training post pushed forward with the strike and Ellis’ incomplete stance collapsed. With an upward motion, the wooden arm pushed Ellis’ sword away and he fell backwards.
Ellis landed with a thud on the ground. Above him, the training post drew back its arm and lunged at him.
Ellis threw up his hands to cover his face.
He waited for the attack, but it never came. Finally, he opened his eyes and saw that the wooden arm had frozen in place, a few inches from his face. Ellis relaxed on the ground. He could feel the heat from his body dissipate into the earth, as the sweat began to pour down his neck and back. He felt a sudden, heavy fatigue and tried hard to steady his panting breath.
“Telhari!” Mary yelled at him. “What was that for!?”
“A new training method,” he said with a half grin.
Telhari stepped over Ellis and stood in front of the training post. Then, after withdrawing a dagger from his belt, he carved an ‘x’ into the post.
“From now on,” Telhari announced, “No more drilling strikes.” He turned around to face Ellis and pointed at the ‘x’ with the tip of his dagger. “Your goal is to land ten hits on this point. If you do that, we will start sparing using metal blades.”
Ellis shot up from the ground.
“Really!?”
Telhari nodded.
Ellis rolled himself up from the ground and shook out his arms. Telhari looked at him once more; it was as if he had become a new person. In an instant, Ellis had forgotten his soreness and was ready to fight once again.
“Are you ready?” Telhari asked him.
Ellis nodded.
Telhari placed his palm on the top of the training post and reactivated his enchantment. He stepped back a few paces as it began to twitch and realign itself into a more humanoid appearance.
“Be careful!” Mary called to him through cupped hands.
Ellis steadied himself. The training post turned to him as if it could see, tilting itself into position and pointing its wooden arms at him. Ellis watched the post carefully; it was inching itself forward while maintaining its stance. Ellis matched it pace for pace, keeping his sword arm tense and ready. All at once, the post burst forward at incredible speed towards him. Ellis clenched his jaw and strengthened his grip on the handle of the wooden sword. He dropped low and tensed his whole body.
The training post drew back its right arm just enough to gain momentum. In one smooth motion, the force transferred up from the ground, through the central portion of the training post, and into the strike. Ellis could read its movements clearly this time. He waited for the perfect moment, planting his feet and bringing up his own sword at an angle.
Crack!
Ellis looked in front of him and, for a split second, there was an opening between them.
A successful parry.
Ellis twisted his upper body and drew back his blade toward his torso. He thrust the sword forward again, stabbing toward the mark Telhari had made.
Crack!
Ellis felt a pain through his fingers so bad he nearly dropped his sword. Despite his best efforts, the training post had parried him in turn, leaving Ellis with his arms above his head and his torso exposed. He could anticipate the next strike, but he was too slow to block it. He felt the wind leave his chest as the wooden arm crashed into him from the side. He crumpled to the ground and clutched his ribs.
“Ellis!” Mary cried out. “Are you alright?”
Ellis coughed a few times but was able to steady his breathing. The training post stood there, frozen in the exact position in which it had struck him. Ellis rolled onto his back and wiped the sweat from his face.
“…I’m fine, Mary.”
Mary gave him some water to drink; he gulped it down so quickly he nearly choked.
“Does it hurt?”
Ellis rubbed his side— pressing in different points along his ribs and wincing accordingly.
“Not really,” he lied.
Telhari stood apart from them, watching on with a twinge of concern. Perhaps he was pushing Ellis too hard? He had wanted to keep Ellis engaged in the training, but he might have progressed him too quickly. Telhari made up his mind and headed over to the two of them.
“We can stop for the day if you would like.”
“No!” Ellis shot up from the ground with wide eyes. “I wanna do it again!”
Telhari folded his arms.
“Are you sure? We have many more days to practice.”
Any one of them could tell that Ellis was tired. His hands were red and tremulous from holding so tightly onto the sword and from withstanding the force of the attacks. His body was covered in sweat and his cheeks were flush. But even still, in his eyes Telhari could see a fire burning brighter than before— a ferocious determination.
Ellis locked eyes with Telhari.
“Again!”