The minute Hunter's feet hit the training deck, he already had his broom in hand. A quick flourish and it spun a tight arc in front of him, his wrists loosening up with the motion. He strode to the center, adding wider loops to his routine, twisting his body from side to side, his shoulders settling into a steady rhythm.
He came to a halt, flipping the broom bristle-side down.
His eyes followed the length of the handle, a slow grin spreading across his face. There, wound tight in Soulvines, was the hilt of his mithril knife. It had taken a lot of effort making sure it was secure, but only time would tell if it held up.
"What have you got for me today, Tower?" Hunter's voice echoed, filled with anticipation.
Tower: Another strawman. Any preference on its armament?
Hunter mulled over his past encounters with the straw dummies. The first one had been a stationary punching bag, while the next had some basic spear-wielding defensive skills.
He shrugged. "Just make it worth my while, Tower. Surprise me." Hunter needed to hone his combat and aura-sensing skills. His last attempt at aura sensing in the training deck had been a struggle. He needed to get faster at tracking weapon movements without straining his core. Preferably before he ended up dead.
Tower: Noted. Ready to begin?
"Ready as I'll ever be." Hunter’s eagerness lit up his eyes as he gripped the broom-knife handle.
A gap yawned open in the ground, and a strawman rose slowly, wooden spear held aloft.
Hunter circled the dummy, looking for signs of movement. He'd asked for a challenge, but so far, the damn thing lived up to its name—a dummy. But that didn't mean he couldn't use it to refine his martial skills and push his limits.
As a Refiner cultivator, it was crucial he practice using chi to power his movements. Cycling chi through his body, he focused on his footwork.
Swift, unpredictable--that's what he aimed to be.
Using aura sense, he channeled chi into his eyes, focusing on the dummy’s weapon. It was an uncommon tier weapon, enhanced by Fire chi. The blade's edge burned bright, capable of scorching metal.
Hunter’s heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline spiking at the sight.
"Alright, you oversized hay bale, let's dance." He shifted into an offensive stance.
Hunter started with a low sweep, aiming to disrupt the dummy's balance. When it didn’t yield or strike back, he transitioned into a high spin kick, aiming for its head. His body spun gracefully, the kick landing solidly on the straw construct. He was a little dismayed that the dummy was too slow to block in time.
Perhaps it was just warming up.
Pretending to move left, Hunter suddenly lunged right, launching a diagonal slash. His knife-broom moved in a blur as he unleashed rapid strikes. The dummy responded by blocking each attack with its spear shaft, its reaction time improving with each of Hunter's attacks.
Hunter changed the tempo, his precision thrusts finding gaps in the dummy's defense, testing its reactions. Again, the dummy improved, adapting to Hunter’s fighting style much quicker and more effectively than his previous strawman opponents.
Hunter buried his attacks in speed and intensity.
His diagonal slashes were adeptly parried by the dummy’s spear. Hunter tried again, but each blow met the resistance of the straw dummy’s spear, the sound of wood on wood echoing through the training deck.
Hunter broke from the stalemate, circling around.
The dummy spun in place, leveling its spear. But with a sudden burst of speed, Hunter closed the distance, his knife-tipped broom driving forward. He attacked high, then low, feinting left and right.
The dummy blocked each strike, but Hunter’s movements became more erratic and unpredictable. He lunged forward, his broom-knife aiming for the heart of the dummy. The straw parted under the force of his blow; Hunter’s broom-knife struck true.
Hunter pulled back to check for damage to his new weapon, satisfied it had held up against the thrust force into his straw opponent. He didn’t fancy its chances if he struck a metal armor plate. Thanks to his latest rounds of training, his strikes were much more precise and on target. Something he’d need when facing a heavily armored hoplite strawman in the Refiner Gate.
Still, there was something nagging at him.
"Hey Tower," Hunter twirled his knife-broom in hand, "that was a decent warm-up, but I need more than a sack of straw that just stands there and takes it. I need it to feel real, like the hell I'm going to face in the Refiner Gate. Can you make it fight back?"
Tower: Not yet, Hunter. Baby steps. Run before you can walk, and you'll fall flat on your face.
Hunter clenched his jaw, shaking his head. "There's a lesson to be learnt in falling, Tower. Happened to me plenty of times, sometimes from a damn great height. But you know what? It taught me how to pick myself up again. It’s also what my mother used to say. Her words encouraged me all these years."
Tower: Your mother was your first teacher? My creators taught me a lot too.
Hunter paused, his brow furrowing. This was the first time Tower had mentioned anything about its origins. “Yes, before I went to school, both my parents taught me a lot. Are your creators still alive?”
Tower: No, like your mother, they are dead. But that happened a long, long time ago. I am older than you can comprehend.
“Huh, maybe so, but a loss is a loss, no matter how long ago. What do you remember about them, your creators?"
Tower: One was an architect, the other a stonemason. They were in love but argued frequently, most often about me. I never understood why.
"Sounded like they were your parents." Hunter mused as the silence stretched between them.
Tower: When you put it like that, Hunter, I suppose they were.
Hunter's gaze hardened, his mind racing. Tower held so many answers, yet there were still so many unknowns. But Tower seemed open to learning, and that was something. Maybe they could grow together, gain power and understanding side by side.
Claude had told him that the tower would be his guide, but Hunter's teacher, Arista, had once said, ‘No matter how knowledgeable your teacher is, no one is above learning something new.’
After talking with Tower, he could see the value in teaching his guide as much as his guide was teaching him. Arista's words, 'the teacher becomes the student, and the student becomes the teacher,' made much more sense to him now.
“Tower, while I appreciate your baby steps approach, I’m not a baby. The defenders and monsters in the Refiner Gate certainly won’t treat me like one. So for the next strawman, don’t hold back. They have weapons at the uncommon tier, and I want to see what they are capable of so I can learn to counter it.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Tower didn’t answer, but another dummy appeared, this time armed with butterfly swords. It adapted quickly to Hunter's rapid strikes but remained stationary, limited to defensive parries.
Hunter's frustration grew with every strike he landed. It wasn’t a challenge; it felt more like leading a lamb to slaughter, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. His chest heaved by the time he'd completely destroyed the strawman, its sack cloth head and limbs scattered across the training deck.
Hunter punted its head across the training deck with a vicious sweeping kick. It landed with a thud, and the dust cloud erupted as the sack head split, sending straw flying.
Hunter growled as he caught his breath. “What part of the sentence 'give me a challenge' do you not understand?”
Tower: I understand the sentence completely. Please clarify the relevance of your statement.
Hunter's vision blurred with a red haze, his hands trembling with rage and frustration.
"You might know how to string words together, Tower, but you don’t get the fucking meaning. You're playing it safe because I botched it in the Refiner Gate the first time around. Maybe you think I can't handle myself. But out there in the real world, I've been punched, kicked, left bleeding, poisoned, and shunned. I've been beaten till I saw stars. But I’m not done fighting, not by a long shot. So give me a real challenge, one that'll leave a mark. Pain's a damn good teacher. You wouldn't know, never having felt it, but believe me—it's fucking true."
Tower: My creators had different views on the balance between risk and reward. The stonemason would not agree with you, but the architect would be sympathetic to your plight. You are very passionate about how you prefer to learn. In honor of my creator, the architect, I will adjust the training deck safety settings.
Rising from the trapdoor, the straw dummy's face was decorated with thin slits for eyes, and its straw hands firmly gripped a wooden sword.
Hunter groaned at the sight but channeled his chi through his limbs, fixing his gaze on the weapon. It was just as he expected.
[Common Tier. Wooden Sword. Often used by children during practice training.]
Ready to destroy this dummy and have another talk with Tower, Hunter lunged at the straw dummy, his broomstick slicing through the air. The straw dummy, quick to react, blocked his attack with its wooden sword, effortlessly deflecting the blow.
Hunter staggered back, surprised by the dummy's defense and strength.
At last, a decent opponent. He had to be more strategic.
Hunter circled the straw dummy, its positioning and eyes following him, as if waiting for an opportunity to counter. He feigned an attack, partially extending the broom with a quick jab before changing direction. The dummy took the bait, swinging its wooden sword wide, leaving itself vulnerable.
Seizing the opportunity, Hunter lunged forward, thrusting the mithril knife at the straw dummy's exposed side. The blade cut through the straw, but as he pulled his weapon back, a shadow crossed his periphery. He turned, shifting the staff of the broom up over his head, barely blocking the wooden sword in time.
He groaned, widening his stance as the dummy didn't let up, forcing him toward the ground.
Hunter crouched, loosening his grip on the broom staff. As the dummy backed away, he leapt with a sweeping arc of his broom, the knife aimed at the dummy's head. But the dummy's eyes shifted, driving its wooden sword into Hunter's exposed ribs. He winced, dropping his elbow, and his knife only grazed the dummy's shoulder before clanging against the stone floor.
Lifting the broom, Hunter thrust the knife point forward, but the dummy deflected it to the side. He followed with a side kick to the straw man’s chest. Before he could land it, the sword rounded back, connecting with his shin.
Hunter cried out in agony, but he stayed on his feet, using the straw end of his broom to keep his balance. The knife end tipped forward, and it was met with the blow of the wooden sword, throwing Hunter back.
If he wanted to defeat this defensive dummy, he had to be quick. He changed his strategy, engaging in lightning-fast moves, pushing through the numbing sensation that coursed through his limbs with each deflection.
Maintaining a steady stream of energy through his body, he let Earth chi flow into his arms to strengthen his combination attack. A back sweep of the broom low, followed by a forward arc with the knife end, keeping the sword centered on his staff, he used it to pivot.
The knife slashed through the dummy's face. Its eyes crossed with X's as the wooden sword clanged to the ground.
Hunter exhaled, wiping the sweat from his temple, a smile of pure satisfaction gracing his face.
Tower: Why are you smiling? You look like you are going to collapse at any moment. I recommend prompt recovery and rest.
"Battered and bruised, but satisfied because that straw dummy looks worse off than me."
Tower: Your resilience is commendable. Still, I recommend you take time to recover and rest before you continue your training.
Hunter shook his head. “While I appreciate your concern, I can’t let this adrenaline fade. Please open the Refiner Gate.”
***
As he stood in front of the gate, Hunter had the niggling feeling he was forgetting something. One last sweep of his inventory usually did the trick to calm his nerves. A notification blinked in his vision:
[Remaining time to complete the Refiner Gate: 0.38 Tradaka Moments.]
He really needed to get his head around time measurement inside the tower. Understanding tradakas in the context of hours and minutes would better help him gauge his time spent inside versus outside the tower.
“You keep using tradakas to measure time. Exactly how many of those things equal an hour or minute outside of your walls?”
Tower: Your knowledge and skills are limited in understanding time.
Hunter rolled his eyes. “No, only your measurement of time is confusing because I have nothing to compare it to.”
Tower: I will make the adjustments so your mortal mind can comprehend.
Waiting, Hunter reviewed his inventory, making certain he’d not missed anything. The notification blinked into view:
[Remaining time to complete the Refiner Gate: 0.38 Tradaka Moments, or 120 Hours]
He let out a slow breath. Five more days inside the tower should give him plenty of time to complete the gate.
Tower: Are you ready, First Initiate? Or do you need to check your inventory for the hundredth time?
Hunter gave a slow nod, his mind preoccupied with the ticking clock, what he knew he’d face inside the Refiner Gate and the looming unknowns. Ignorance wasn't a luxury he could afford, not in this tower. The dread in his gut grew with every passing second.
"Be prepared. It was my family motto, and it kinda became my own mantra over the years. That’s why I always check my inventory. When I lived on Death Island, I used to sneak out to forage supplies or help others where I could. Not having what I needed at hand when I needed it was a surefire way to wind up dead."
Tower: The same principle applies here, but with higher stakes. Death Island had some nasty beasts inhabiting it, but they're kittens compared to the gate bosses you will face here.
Hunter started pacing, his focus straying from his inventory. He might not have quality armor or boots yet, but he couldn't afford to sit on his ass waiting. No telling how long it would take him to grind his way to the First Star Refiner boss or what divine gift he'd earn for his trouble.
A part of him knew if he didn't act now, he'd find more excuses to delay. He’d seen people paralyzed by indecision in dire situations.
They didn't survive long.
Tower: You seem a little on edge. Do you need me to reassure you by ignoring all your past failures and glaring flaws and focus on your recent wins in crafting and sparring?
Hunter did a double-take.
“Glaring flaws?”
Tower: Yes, would you like me to randomly list them? Or would you prefer if I rank them in order of their likely impact on your success within the Refiner Gate? Fortunately, if you focus on your horse-dominant trait in the Path of Holly and Horse, you will build awareness of these and learn how best to address them.
Hunter had a sinking feeling it would be a long list of flaws. Tower was too observant for comfort.
“How about you give me the top two flaws I need to fix, and I'll work on those. Maybe together we can figure out what I've crafted or learned that can offset them?”
Tower: Excellent idea! Given your inflated self-confidence, you probably already know how resourceful and resilient you are.
A backhanded compliment if he ever heard one. Hunter couldn't help but grin. As long as it was constructive, he could use the feedback to grow stronger, faster!
“Tell me, Tower, Claude summoned you here, right? I get that, and I know some divine energy powers your ability to connect with me in my mind. But since you don’t have a physical presence, how can you tell when I’m wound up?” Hunter bit his lip. He’d been dodging this question, but he couldn’t avoid it any longer. “Can you read my thoughts and feel what I’m feeling?”
Tower: Explaining the divine energy to someone with limited understanding of quantum mechanics and energy fields is... challenging. I don't have a physical avatar your mortal senses can comprehend, but once my renovations reach the Magnifico! phase, that might change. Perhaps Claude will consult with you then, given the time you and I will have spent together.
Hunter stopped in his tracks, hit with a bolt of realization.
Sure, he knew his input was needed to renovate the tower and pave the way for the other twelve initiates. But was Tower hinting at something more?
Did the tower need his human experience to learn and grow?
After all, when Hunter had asked Claude if he would be the tower's caretaker, the god had replied, “Not in the way you’re thinking.”