"One...! Two...! Up!"
With a grunt, alongside others, we lifted a cut trunk and deposited it inside one of the wagons, laying it on top of the pile of logs we had already been loading.
Letting out a sigh, I stepped back and looked up at the sky, bathed in the hues of the setting sun, over the canopies of the Elderpines with my ears open to let the breeze cool me a little.
It had been a good while since they had called the close of the workday, well before it began to get dark, and we had all hurried to finish our remaining chores, after which we set about dismantling the camp and loading everything into the wagons.
I had been curious at the time and asked why we were preparing all the things to take to the Glade if we were going to come back the next day and have to set everything up again, to which Bea had replied with 'Lest the beasts damage them, or worse, the spirit does,' which made me wonder if something had happened before.
The answer was yes. One morning, a week after they had started gathering wood from the forest, they found several tools missing along with several others, as well as logs and a cart, damaged.
That had led to a lot of things having to be replaced along with the decision that it was easier to carry everything back to the Glade. It was certainly a lot friendlier on the Major's pockets.
"Alright, people!" My ears perked up at the sound of Brianna's voice and I turned to her standing at the side of the line of wagons. "Good job today! Now, let's go home!" Her words were met with murmurs of acknowledgement and satisfaction.
Almost immediately, the wagons began to be pulled by the horses and soon we were all moving in procession, leaving the area and back to the Glade.
With nothing to do but walk alongside the rest, my mind wandered to what I had done during the day. And boy, was it something!
I was no stranger to physical labour. Not after years of working alongside my parents in the underground caverns. What I wasn't used to was working my arms for such lengthy periods of time.
For the few hours before and after lunch, I did nothing but limb the huge branches sawn off by the group of lumberjacks climbing the massive pines.
Not a very complicated task, to be honest; but with the large number of limbs per branch, a very tiring one, despite the small moments of rest in between.
I could feel how affected the muscles all over my upper body were and I knew they would be sore tomorrow.
Still, I was content.
Maybe it's just me, but I had always found the more manual labours much more satisfying.
Although I could do without the soft ringing in my ears. I've got to see about getting some earplugs for the next time or it's going to go from annoying to painful pretty quickly.
And speaking of satisfying, I had to do something for Ria. The lunch she'd made me to take with me after breakfast had been great.
"I seriously have to do something to thank them both." I muttered to myself.
The couple had been more than good to me. Not only had Amos had the patience to teach me more of the world so I wouldn't be as lost as I originally was, they had both opened the doors of their home to me and given me shelter when I needed it without even asking for anything in return.
And not only that, they had also given me the chance to fulfil my dream.
To learn magic!
Even after hours had passed, just remembering the moment when Reinhilde accepted my request made me all giddy with excitement to the point where I had to hold it in or I'd be smiling for seemingly nothing.
It had already happened to me for a moment while I was chopping and some people had sent me funny looks.
Which reminds me, once I'm done here, I should see about going over to her. I don't want to be late and make her angry.
After that thought, we entered the Glade and, without stopping, headed for a sort of warehouse nearby.
Following the example of the rest, I set about helping to unload the contents of the wagons and carry them inside where we deposited the logs in neat piles and the crates of tools in the corners, after which a group of people came to take care of the wagons and horses.
Standing in front of the entrance, I took a moment to stretch and let out a relaxed sigh.
"Hey, squirt." I blinked and turned around to find Brianna approaching me. "You did good work today. Here." She said and held out her hand.
Puzzled, I extended mine with an open palm and she deposited several copper coins on top of it.
My eyes widened for a moment at the sight of money and my ears twitched at the realisation of what I had been forgetting.
Brianna snorted, "You forgot about the pay, huh?" She said in a mildly amused tone.
I could only reply with a wry smile as I ran my hand over the back of my head with my ears tucked back a bit.
She shook her head. "You need to be more aware of that, lest others take advantage of you." She said seriously to which I nodded.
"I understand." I said simply. Brianna didn't seem like the type to want to listen to excuses. "Early tomorrow morning then?"
She nodded. "Come here by the time the sun hits the Glade." And seeing that I had understood her instruction she turned around to go back to the warehouse.
Well, I already have a job and a wage, I thought with a smile as I looked at the coins in my hand before putting them in my bag. Now I just had to go to the barracks— I froze for a moment.
I had forgotten to ask where the barracks were…
For a second, I felt a mixture of despair, terror and self-loathing explode from my chest and threaten to drown me completely, only to receive the equivalent of a slap of common sense as my brain kicked in again to bring me back to my senses.
Shaking myself to disperse the horrible feeling I turned and called out, "Uh... Mrs. Mornshine! Can you tell me where the barracks are?!"
Brianna stopped and turned her head to give me a look. "Call me Boss or just Ma'am." She said simply before pointing off into the distance. "It's over there, the one with the shield above the door."
I peered in the direction she pointed and could see a wide wooden structure. "Got it! Thank you!" I said with a relieved smile.
She just raised an eyebrow and nodded before resuming her walk.
Much calmer, I set off on my way. With every step I took, I could feel my excitement return and grow stronger. Soon, I found myself hopping along, which attracted stares, but I paid them no mind and in a matter of moments I arrived at the barracks.
In front of the entrance stood a pair of guards standing at the sides with spears in hand. Above them I could see the shield Brianna had mentioned, made of wood and with the image of a pair of scales painted in the middle.
"Yes? Do you need anything?" One of the guards asked in a calm, if vaguely bored tone.
"Good evening. I'm here to see the Town Warden." I replied cheerfully.
Suddenly, the guard seemed much more attentive, giving me a glance before asking. "The Town Warden?"
"Aha." I nodded.
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“Warden Embershade?”
"Yes?" I said a bit quizzically.
The guard threw a silent question to his companion, who replied with a shrug.
"Very well. Who's looking for her?"
"Noah Howlite." I replied and the guard nodded.
"Wait here." And he turned and entered the barracks.
Puzzled by the whole conversation, I glanced at the other guard. He averted his gaze from me to the front, acting as if he hadn't been watching me.
Uh, that's strange. I thought and debated for a few seconds whether I wanted to know what was going on before deciding that the truth was that I didn’t care enough.
In any case, I could ask Reinhilde after the training.
Remembering why I was here made me smile and shift in my spot, anxious to get started.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see the guard making a strange expression on his face.
Odd.
I thought nothing of it and focused my ears to see if I could hear anything coming from inside.
= = = = = Line Break = = = = =
Reinhilde turned her gaze to her office window, through which she could see the last rays of sunlight setting over the Glade, and wondered for the umpteenth time what she had been thinking when she accepted Noah's request to train.
Who did she want to lie to? Of course she knew why she had agreed so readily. She'd known the D'nzars since she was a little girl.
The half-elven couple had practically raised her alongside her family, becoming akin to a second set of parents to her.
There was no way she was going to refuse a seemingly innocuous request like that, especially when she could see that they were actually trying to help her become better at her profession.
After all, it was true that, while things were currently fine and dandy with the number of guards that were lent by Arbordale, they weren't going to get any more of them unless it was an emergency, and the number wasn't going to be enough when the number of residents increased in the future.
With that in mind, it was only a matter of time before they had to recruit locally.
As such, it made perfect sense to take the opportunity to practise teaching others now that it was not urgent.
Now, if only she could calm her nerves that would be great.
Letting out an annoyed snort, she looked down at the stack of papers on her desk.
Maybe she could find something in them to distract her? Never mind that she'd already flipped through them at least three times.
A faint rapping caused her to look up at the guard who had appeared at her door.
"Yes?" She asked in a serious and firm manner, causing the guard to straighten up.
"Town Warden, there is a person looking for you at the gate." The man reported and it was only the control Reinhilde had trained for years that kept the spike of anxiety from being visible.
"Who?" She asked unsure if she wanted it to be the Bunyar and deal with this already at once or if she wanted it to be someone else to give her more time.
"One Noah Howlite, Ma'am." Replied the guard and she nodded.
It appeared that the time for anguish or self-doubt had passed.
Rising from her seat and standing to her full height, she looked down at the guard who was trying to not fidget in place.
"Escort Mr. Howlite to the courtyard and tell him I am on my way." She ordered and the guard nodded with a thump to his chest and went to carry out her orders.
Reinhilde waited until she was sure she was alone before she closed her eyes, took a breath and relaxed her posture.
To be honest, she already had a good idea of how she was going to approach these lessons.
Still, the fear of making a mistake or doing something wrong did not quite leave her.
Nevertheless, Reinhilde left her office, walking sedately with a placid face through the mostly empty barracks and out into the courtyard.
The place consisted of an open space surrounded by a tall wooden palisade with a hard-packed dirt floor with several torches illuminating the grounds and, to the side, an armoury with an assortment of weapons for both practice and more lethal uses.
It was not much. It definitely couldn't compare with the barracks at Arbordale. But it was hers and whenever she could she took time to admire it and be filled with a sense of satisfaction.
This time, however, her eyes fell on the middle of the courtyard. On the figure of Noah, with his fluffy white fur, bouncing in place from how excited he looked and causing his ears to bounce.
So cute. She was assaulted by the thought as well as the urge to run her hand through his fur and feel its softness between her fingers again.
A second later she took that idea, crumpled it into a ball and sank it into the deepest corner of her mind while making an effort not to blush.
Where did that come from?! She screamed in her head. It was embarrassing enough that a similar thought had crossed her mind in the morning when she had gone to investigate after being notified of a new resident.
One of Noah's ears swivelled in her direction— Reinhilde felt like she wanted to let out a squeal of cuteness —before being followed by the rest of him and, seeing her, his face lit up with a smile and he waved his hand in her direction— and she again had to use her training to keep from making an embarrassing sound.
Seriously, it made no sense that she found it so adorable!
Mentally shaking her head, she approached at a leisurely pace until she was close to him.
"Welcome Mr. Howlite, are you ready for your training?" She said in her usual no-nonsense tone, the same one she used to direct her men and women of the Guard. In her opinion, if she could keep the formalities to a minimum and focus on the task at hand, perhaps she could get through the rest of the afternoon without embarrassing herself any more than she already had in the morning.
"Mhm! That's right...!" He replied with plenty of enthusiasm. "Er... What should I call you? Town Warden? Ma'am? Warden Embershade?" He asked curiously, cocking his head to one side.
"Reinhilde is fine." No, it was not fine, why had she said that?
He nodded, his ears bouncing with the movement. "Okay! Call me Noah, then. Mr. Howlite makes me feel old."
"Noah." She conceded, opting to put her sudden decision aside and continue with what she had planned. "I want you to show me what you know." She said, to which Noah blinked in confusion.
"Of what?"
Now it was her turn to look at him confused. "Didn't you say you trained?"
Noah's eyes flashed with understanding. "Ah! That! Yes! Um... I mean, I have no problem, but wasn't I going to learn magic?"
Reinhilde nodded slowly, realising that unlike with the people under her command, she was going to have to explain herself better with Noah rather than simply giving orders.
"That's right, but since we're going to be meeting every day from now on, I thought I would make the most of the moment and include physical and martial training. That way you're not going to have to go into the woods just to practise." She said.
Noah accepted her words and took a few steps away from her.
Reinhilde focused on him, curious to see what he had, in his own words, achieved on his own.
He took a horseman's stance with his arms raised and, after taking a moment to focus, began to move.
Reinhilde knew physical combat. She had trained in it since she was a little girl following in her father's footsteps. As such, she had seen several different styles of combat. Some focused on pure strength while others emphasised speed or precision. And, while all were clearly useful having proven their worth over time, watching the way Noah moved gracefully, seamlessly interspersing movements without interruption in a flowing manner made her realise for the first time how simple they were.
Watching Noah practice gave her more the impression that she was watching someone dance, if the dance had been weaponised.
For her eyes could faithfully attest that each kick, each interspersed strike was delivered with as much force and precision as possible within the range of a person who was not capable of using magic to augment their capabilities.
In fact, analysing his style further, she could see that Noah favoured the use of his legs more than his arms; which she supposed made sense considering his species.
Watching him leap with one leg to just over her height without much effort and then, with the other leg, do a spinning kick in the air that she was sure would easily concuss a normal person, Reinhilde could only imagine the damage he could do if he reached a high enough level on the Path.
However, she could still see parts that needed polishing. Improving positioning, the way he delivered blows, and several others that revealed to her the lack of instruction he had already mentioned.
"That's enough." She said after a few minutes of constant observation. "Your style, it's very interesting. You said you learned it on your own?"
Noah nodded. Reinhilde could tell he was panting slightly from exhaustion, but he still responded with the same high spirits he had come with.
"That's right. It took me several years, but I'm confident I got something functional." He replied with clear pride in his voice before his tone turned a bit self-conscious. "Though I'm sure I have a lot of room for improvement."
"Mhm. I could see a few things. Nothing we can't fix, though I don't think we will today since you seem tired." She commented inquisitively, and immediately felt bad when she saw Noah let out a chagrined sigh.
"Ah... sorry about that. It's just that I've been chopping wood all day and it's a bit different from the work I'm used to." He said with his ears drooping.
Reinhilde felt her hand itch with the urge to pat his head to try to lift his spirits.
She resisted the temptation, though.
"D-don't worry. It's perfectly normal. How about we start with the magic instruction instead?" She offered quickly and held back a sigh of relief as his face lit up with excitement once more.
Reinhilde gestured for them both to sit down and took a moment to think carefully about how she wanted to begin this part.
"Magic is what we call this kind of power that flows around the world and, once channelled, allows us to perform actions beyond what we are naturally capable of.
The first thing you should know is that all living things have magic and are therefore capable of using it. However, there are differences. Compared to some beasts and practically all monsters— which are capable of generating large amounts of magic as well as being able to use it naturally —we are born with a paltry amount and lack the instincts to make use of it. That is where the Paths of Power come in.
Generally speaking, the Paths are separated into two main categories. The Warriors and the Mages. Warriors develop their magic to work mostly internally, affecting the user's body— increasing physical strength, improving the body's endurance, sharpening the senses —while Mages are the ones who develop it with an external focus, to more easily affect their surroundings— examples of this are casting lightning or fireballs." Reinhilde said.
"The way you put it— developing magic —are the Paths so different? I mean, what if I wish to pursue both?" Noah asked.
"It's going to be an uphill battle." She said simply before continuing. "The best way I can explain it to you is that magic, like a person, gets used to doing one thing and the more you do that one thing— in this case following one of the Paths —the harder it's going to be to do the other. For some reason, the way magic has to behave to act in oneself is not the same as it is to act outside oneself. Mind you, it's not impossible; but it takes a lot more time and effort— to the point that many don't see the need to try and, at higher Steps of a Path, one can do certain things of the other if at a rather reduced level in comparison. For example, a Mage of the Third Step can augment their body to a similar magnitude as a Warrior of the First."
Noah nodded, his eyes reflecting great interest. "The Steps, you mentioned them before. How many are there?"
"I'm not sure, but I've heard legends of people on the Sixth Step." She said in a wistful tone, childhood dreams of grandeur flitting through her head for a moment before she pushed them aside and focused back on Noah. "But that's not important now; what's important is that, at the most basic point, all Paths begin with the same step. The formation of a Fount."
"A Fount? What is that?"
"A Fount is a sort of magical nucleus. A source and container of magical energy formed when one collects and accumulates enough magic from the environment until a certain point of saturation is reached, after which one compresses the magical energy until it basically implodes, forming a Fount." She explained and Noah's eyes widened in anticipation.
"And that's what I'm going to learn now?!" He asked excitedly and Reinhilde tried, she really did, but she couldn't help herself.
"No." She replied, borrowing a page from her Uncle Amos' book, and despite her best effort she couldn't hold herself from letting out a soft chuckle as she watched him stumble even though they were both sitting on the floor. "Sorry. Sorry." She apologised with a gesture; the corners of her lips still curved slightly upwards even in the face of his narrowed gaze. "What I mean is before we try any of that, first we need to get you to be able to sense and manipulate the magic around you."
Noah settled back into his spot and crossed his arms. His face pouted, making her again want to reach out and pat his head. "Okay. So how do we do that?"
She took a breath to calm herself before explaining. "With an active source of magic. Normally, it's impossible on one's own unless one has some particularly powerful material nearby or lives under a natural source of magic. In this case?" Reinhilde suddenly had an idea of how to start the session that made her smile inside and in a style she was sure would make her uncle proud. She concentrated, calling upon the power within her and it, as always, responded with eagerness. She could feel as if liquid fire was coursing through her veins, spreading throughout her body to the point where her magic radiated out of her body, creating a red aura around her.
Reinhilde opened her mouth. "M-me." And her words came out stumbling after seeing the expression of utter, honest astonishment on Noah's face, causing her feelings to take a turn and she ended up feeling self-conscious.
"So, make yourself comfortable." She said after a throat clearing. "We're going to get started." She finished lamely and wished she could cover her face. Thankfully, her aura was doing a good job at masking most of her blush and Noah was too excited to notice.
Gods, why did she agree to do this?