Everyone got back to their room that day. Lisa didn’t say a word and Lina consoled her as usual. Laurence was in deep thought and so was Aaron. Eric was peering out the window though, not his usual plan-things-out-now attitude.

“You alright, Lisa?” Aaron asked genuinely.

“Of course, I’m not alright!”

Aaron just noticed it now, but she didn’t wear any glasses.

She continued. “Aren’t you upset? Fuck it. I didn’t expect it to be like this. It’s too real.”

Aaron didn’t see a man getting his head cut off and stuck into a spike, so no, there was no gore. Nothing to feel about but a bit of bitterness in his tongue. He barely knew them, in fact, he despised people like them. Eat, drink, shit, fuck, sleep, rinse and repeat. He was the same too, without the fucking and raping.

The silence went on for half an hour and a man clad in light armor banged the door open. He was a veteran like one of those Aaron saw back outside. He looked someone who just killed countless monsters and all it took was three slashes on his face and an intimidating tiger’s eye (literally).

“Pick up your swords and meet me outside.” He left.

The veteran was standing in a small space alone. There were several tables but and people drinking and a couple veterans with other guards waiting. This is bad. He still had social anxiety no matter how he coats it. And now with other people watching, getting laughed at was the worst thing to happen.

The first one to go was Eric. No, to be more accurate, he was the first one to strike the veteran behind. Two swords clashed one after another. A surprise attack can’t call the instructor? After a dozen seconds, the veteran found an opening and punched Eric in his solar plexus. Fast and easy.

No one laughed, surprisingly. A few snickers here and there, but harmless. Even one of the veterans said Get up which wasn’t that motivating. At least for Aaron, it wasn’t.

“You know how to hold a sword, I didn’t expect that. But your stance is laughable; your strikes are too weak. You know how to be aggressive but you have too many openings,” he crouched to see Eric squirmed and held onto his stomach. “Stand up. And fight.”

The two had gone on for an hour. It was hell. Eric’s face got smashed left and right; his feet wobbled and his sword gone. No one mind. And the team didn’t talk either. Aaron looked back and saw Lina and Lisa gone. He walked closer to the castle though and their he saw Venna teaching them how to use a bow. Useful. Now time to leave.

“You there!” Not good. Did the veteran just call him out? Aaron turned to the voice. Damn, he did.

It didn’t take long for Aaron to go down on a limp. Just thirty minutes and he couldn't even take a step up. A tooth was gone and his finger was bent the wrong way. The veteran fixed it for him though. He cursed.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Much worse than the first one. You can’t hold the sword right, can’t even stand up straight for five minutes and how the hell did you drop to the ground that fast?”

Bar, their instructor, scurried him off, which he was glad for. Two men dragged him back to his room and everything was vague after that. Last thing he saw? Laurence stepping in with a lion in his eyes. Must be an imagination. He was beat-up tired, after all.

They trained, no, beat-up for next few days. Aaron got the hold of the basics while Laurence and Eric were a step further. He was even seeing Lina and Lisa less. Sometimes they go out and come back with bruises, most of the time fainted. He couldn’t even imagine just how brutal Venna’s teaching was.

The veteran that beat him up wasn’t the kind of guy who was hard to get along, which was surprising. He didn’t smile that much, but a grin would come out every time Aaron comes back up. He acted more like a father than a teacher, too. It was a different lesson when it comes to Laurence, though. He was clashing swords over and over but fell on his tenth minute. Aaron can’t even last a minute without dying.

“That was fucking exhausting,” Aaron growled. Everyone was on the bed as usual. He turned to Lina. For some reason, talking to Lisa wouldn’t be a wise choice. “What happened out there?”

“Don’t even ask,” she muttered. “Don’t talk about it. Don’t ask about it.”

“She,” Lisa spoke. “She left us alone in the swamps for two days straight. Said we need to survive in the woods. Alone. Build a fire out of a fucking water.”

“Did you?”

Lina interrupted. “Don’t ask about it.”

“Fine. Wanna go out for a drink?”

Laurence sat up. “I’ll go. What about you guys?”

Everyone snarled except Eric who was snoring. "Let's go, Laurence."

The tavern was lively as always. People were loud and bustling while the floors were stomped on and bard played the violin as best as he can. Sadly, his fingers were bleeding. Keep it up! Aaron and Eric sat at a corner, behind the window and the stairs leading upstairs. They ordered two rums but the owner gave them four and charged more than they ordered. What a fucking cheat.

But Venna did gave them a pouch of silvers for these kinds of situations. Weapons were handled by her so other than drinking yourself to death, nothing else mattered. Behind these walls, at least.

Laurence gulped his third. “Nothing beats a light beer!”

“You say light but others are already drunk.”

“Not as strong as alcohol though. Shame,” he glanced behind. “Do you want to know what’s upstairs?”

“What?”

He leaned closer and whispered, “It’s a brothel. Just pay in a couple of silvers and your stress is gone.”

His ears twitched. Does having sex in-game can even be considered losing your virginity? He didn’t think so. In fact, the company might be monitoring them right now. “Go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

“No, having sex with a prosti is different. Personal experience.”

Sixth. It was Laurence’s sixth rum. He was drunk. Give him a few minutes and he’ll pass out. Aaron got up from his chair. “Come on, get up. Let’s go home.”

“You fucker!” He stammered left and right. “You just drank your tenth share! How are you not drunk yet?”

This is a pain. He tried to drag Laurence outdoors but a man stopped them, smirking. “How about you leave your purse and I’ll let you go?”

He doesn’t seem to be around here. In fact, he wasn’t even a Witch Hunter. But he was huge. Probably two necks taller than him. Aaron looked back to see a few Witch Hunters they know grab hold of the hilt of their swords. Some turned quiet too, even their instructor – Bar. Not strange at all. Laurence was well respected.

Laurence pushed Aaron behind and faced the man by the door. Everyone’s attention was on the drunk man and ogre-man.

“Don’t get in my way!” Laurence took out his dick and pissed at the huge guy. Oh my fucking god. I feel sorry for Ogre-man.