* Clang! clang!

- Fix your posture.

* Clang! clang! clang!

- You are moving around too much.

* Clang! clang...

- Look at my eyes, focus and you'll see the intent of my next move.

...

- Make sure your sword collides at the right angle.

...

- Concentrate, you'll get injured if you don't keep up. The battlefield won't be this merciful.

...

- Don't always block, you can't kill the enemy if you don't take the initiative to attack.

...

- Your attacks are too clumsy, too predictable.

...

- Your posture again, you are fretting too much.

...

- Your body should complement your attack and defense. When you attack like this, bend your knees and slightly twist your waist to amplify the exerted power.

...

- Your hands are trembling, indicating rapid exhaustion of stamina. The stamina is limited and ought to be used wisely. You'll die in the battle of attrition. Stronger and more experienced enemies will not even regard you as a small fry. You can't ensure even the basic survival of yourself. Without strength, you can't even protect yourself, let alone others.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

...

...

...

- Pant, pant...am I, huff...this bad?

Lorian smiled bitterly as he panted. All his muscles were sore from the intense 1-hour training.

Loki sheathed his sword and sat down on the stairs.

- Of course, you are. These are just the basics, that might barely ensure your survival...everyone has different methods of fighting. Will you be able to cope with different situations? Will you fend off 2 or more enemies?

Lorian turned silent and deeply contemplated.

- That's why, you should nurture your instincts, intuition and gain the ability to cope with anything, or at least ensure your safety. This state is called battle sense.

Lorian's eyes gleamed.

- If we only use instincts to fight, how are we any different from beasts?

Loki smiled and patiently explained.

- Obviously, nobody fights solely on instincts, but can you dodge the blind arrow as you fight and concentrate on someone else? Remember that bald soldier? He was the strongest of the bunch but caught off guard, he fell like a cabbage...concentration, instinct, and decisiveness are the three most important traits that warrior needs to have. These are the most crucial in battle, to the extent where these traits might make you overcome stronger enemies. If you lack decisiveness, a moment of delay is enough to claim your life. If you lack concentration, you will be caught off guard and enemy will exploit the gap, killing you. If you lack instincts, no matter how strong you are... let's say a sword in the open won't be able to kill you, but you won't be able to defend from the dagger and arrows coming from the shadows. Do you get what I mean? Do you understand why the night is the best time for training?

Lorian contemplated in awe. Finally, he sighed in appreciation.

- You are full of wisdom, bro. You could become an excellent training instructor.

Loki smiled and shook his head.

- Not my style...I'm a late bloomer, see? Experience's all I've got, but experience without sufficient backing of strength is without substance, lackluster. Nobody will listen to weak one's instructions.

Lorian turned silent.

- Loki, you aren't weak...

Strange gleam passed through Loki's eyes as he stated absentmindedly

- What do you know...

...

- Say, you've decided to go tomorrow?

Lorian nodded solemnly.

- But you aren't ready.

- I know I'm weak, that's why I need tempering. I'm not good enough to fight the humans yet, even the weaker ones, that's why I'll start from something primitive. I'm sure even beasts have something to teach me. I might not become strong in a short time, but I'll be sure to acquire the three traits you told me about...

Loki deeply stared at Lorian, then stood up, patted off the dust from his robes and stated

- Let's go.

Lorian nodded in response and followed in silence.