I finally got a little rest on the last day of the week. Writing a ten page paper was mentally exhausting and I was pretty sure it was all nonsense by the end. Other than that, I did my Strength and Mysticism exercises. I knew it would take some time to get used to, but I wanted to turn them into a daily habit, whether I had class or not. The next day it was back to classes as usual.
Morning Mysticism was more practise time and more time in the elemental box. I wasn’t sure if I was making progress on my attunement to light, but I kept at it anyway. Manipulation saw my berry-sized orb of shadow grow into a slightly larger berry size, and I was starting to get the hang of reinforcing my muscles with mana control.
In cooking class, Chef Weyland met each student at the door. The gruff lionman immediately assigned me to a new station, “Intermediates with Chef Mustafa this week for side dishes.”
I was eager to try my hand at something other than desserts. Plus the opportunity to work with Chef Mustafa again was great. I really enjoyed my lessons with him over the weekend.
We gathered around a long, wooden table, its surface worn to a smoothness after years of use. Chef Mustafa began, “We’ll be preparing four side dishes, each a staple in the countries they originated from. Take careful note of the different spices used and the special combination of other ingredients.”
He started by showing us how to prepare a high end Abbaio sauce, called Pomodoro, that was often used with certain cheese and hard meats. He carefully weighed out equal portions of parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, celery, and carrots. After chopping up the ingredients and adding them to a large pot, he set the stove to simmer, “In about an hour, that will be ready to serve over fresh mozzarella.”
Moving on to the fennel and orange salad, he taught us how to make a quick vinaigrette of orange juice and apple cider and then detailed how to prepare the fennel and orange. The instructor noted that this light, fresh salad from the Aulido Empire was perfect for a busy weeknight in the winter and paired well with many traditional winter meats like sausage and meatballs.
“Last, we’ll be preparing a couple vegetables. We’ll be doing a glazed carrot and a broccoli au gratin. We’ll start with the carrots as they need the most time in the oven,” Chef Mustafa ordered, starting us through the process of washing and cutting the vegetable spears. We prepared several massive trays with the vegetables. Then it was on to the au gratin. Broccoli florets had to be cut and washed before they went into a dozen or more ceramic dishes. We poured heavy cream and grated parmesan over top then they too went into the oven.
Chef Mustafa seemed pleased with our work as we were putting the last of the ceramic dishes into the oven, “Side dishes are more about preparation and timing. They can be simple or complex, but if you don’t time it just right, nothing will come out at the right time. Speaking of right time, it’s time to start plating the pomodoro and mozzarella. We’ll be using the small round ramekins.”
We barely finished the first side and we were on to the next, getting the salad from the cold box and plating it. Then the au gratin had to come out of the oven, thankfully, it was sent up to the cafeteria in the dishes it was cooked in. Last were the glazed carrots, which were plated into individual servings.
By the time we finished, I was starting to miss desserts. There was something to be said for the simple monotony of making one thing repeatedly. After class ended, I wondered what, if any, changes Signore Barducci would be making.
“Time for the martial part of training,” the professor announced as we finished our last set of wind sprints, the newest addition to the fitness side of class. “Today, things get mixed up a bit. You get to try your hand at fighting against a different weapons group. Now doesn’t that sound fun? This is an opportunity to practise against different types of weapons. Don’t waste it. Every week, we will change up the pairings, I can’t have you getting too comfortable. Close quarters and spears and staves, shed one. Swords and maces, shed three. Shields and archers, shed five.”
That did not sound like fun to me. It sounded like a lot of pain and suffering. I didn’t like the idea of fighting someone that had range on me, not even a metre. That was a lot of distance to cover without any reach of my own.
I decided then that Signore Barducci, my esteemed and respected Handler, was the worst kin to ever exist. As soon as the group split up as instructed, he shouted, “Round one! Fight!” He didn’t even give us an opportunity to meet the spear and stave wielders.
On the practise field, the clang of blunted metal and thud of wooden shafts connected with flesh sounded like a symphony of destruction. I was among the close quarters fighters, and as we clashed against the spear and stave users, I realised that the key to victory was in getting in close before they could mount an effective defence against us. I felt my Footwork, Dodge, and Wrestling skills put to the test as I darted forward to avoid spears and staves thrust in my direction. The impacts jarred my body and made bones break, joints dislocate, and caused me to suffer concussions. But I also learned how to fight back, slipping beneath over-extended strikes and redirecting probes away from me and towards their owners.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Once we were able to take down the stave and spear users, it was only natural that we turned on each other, and with every man for himself in round two of the fight, the intensity of the combat increased even more. The healers were kept busy from then on, tending to wounds that could range from mild to debilitating.
Days quickly started to blur as I fell into a routine. Not that it didn’t mean it wasn’t engaging. The daily Martial Training course made sure of that.
Coach Liv entered the Lair Team classroom more excited than usual. “Next week marks our fourth week of class, and you all know what that means.”
“More First-Aid practise,” Liam volunteered, earning a couple looks of incredulity and several shakes of the head.
“First lair,” Al informed Liam helpfully.
“Oh,” Liam said dumbly. Then it registered, and he jumped up excitedly. “Finally! Oh gods, I’ve been waiting for this. No more of this lame First-Aid nonsense, no offence healers.”
There were loud protests from Al, while Lulu gave him the darkest look the usually timid girl could muster.
Unfortunately, Liam just continued to blather on, “I can’t wait to get to bashing some skulls. What have you got for us, coach?”
Coach Liv sighed, his excitement petering out. “For those of you who have learned First-Aid, we’ll be travelling just outside of the city to the Bog Rodent Lair on the morning of your first rest day. It’s a two-hour carriage ride there and back, so report to the academy by 5:00 AM if you want to go. Anyone who hasn’t learned First-Aid will be staying home.”
“That’s not fair!” Liam and Seth protested loudly.
“You have had almost a month to learn First-Aid, a common skill that children learn by accident,” Coach Liv pointed out, giving the two an admonishing look. “And you still have a week to learn it. I suggest you both take this very seriously, or you will fall behind the rest of your team. Also, be very aware, next week we begin learning Traps. If you have not learned First-Aid by then, you will need to learn it on your own time. And if you haven’t learned it by the next lair, you’ll be staying home again. If you miss two lairs, you will fail this course.”
Seth and Liam both looked slightly stunned by the information. I wasn’t exactly surprised that those two hadn’t learned it yet. Seth thought he was too good for a common skill like First-Aid while Liam . . . well, Liam was not the sharpest arrow in the quiver. Having fought against him all week, I would believe it if someone had said he took a few too many strikes to the head and hadn’t been properly healed afterward. That said, the boarman could take a beating, but couldn't really dish it out though, not like Robin and her brother, Rober.
After Coach’s announcement, Seth and Liam seemed to finally comprehend that the Academy considered the skill important and put in a lot more effort. Unfortunately, that meant they monopolised Coach Liv, who in turn set me to the task of helping as I still had the highest rank of First Aid on the team.
“Gods, this is so stupid,” Seth complained, clearly dissatisfied with having me teach him the skill. “We have healers for a reason.”
I was tempted to remind him of Coach’s FAFHL rule, but instead focused on helping the snakeboy tie a bandage tight enough to stop bleeding but not so tight as to cut off circulation. “If you see discoloration like that, it means it’s too tight,” I coached.
Seth grumbled, “Coach’s pet merc and a Rychanian necro-scumbag. I bet you just love bossing around your betters like this, eh?”
I held back a sigh. “No, I don’t particularly like helping you with this.”
Seth looked affronted, “Why not? Not enough extra credit with Coach Liv? Or would you rather be chatting up that abominable beargirl? You do seem the sort? Rychanian freak.”
My fists clenched involuntarily as my temper flared and I forced myself not to lash out at him for his statement.
Something must have shown on my face though because the snob smirked, “Did I finally strike a nerve? Don’t like being called a freak, freak?”
“Please, just focus on the work,” I replied through gritted teeth.
Seth sighed disappointedly. “You’re rather pathetic, freak. I hope you don’t get us killed in the lair. But don’t worry, I’m sure your beargirl brute will keep you safe.”
“Seth, give me your hand,” I insisted, ignoring his comment.
Seth rolled his eyes and held out his hand for me to demonstrate. “Just be quick about it. It looks like Coach Liv is almost done with that other brute.”
A feral smirk crept across my face as I grabbed his wrist, yanking it with all my might until an audible crack vibrated through the room. Seth screamed at the top of his lungs, and I felt an immense satisfaction wash over me. “You should be more careful. Attacking me for trying to show you the proper way to bandage a wound,” But don’t worry, I can put your wrist back in place and splint your broken fingers.” I relocated his wrist with a hard tug and even more screaming from him. “Alright, we have the perfect opportunity to practise splinting a broken bone. Aren’t you fortunate?”
I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on me, but no one moved to help Seth, not even his cousin Sam. It seemed they all thought he probably deserved whatever happened to him. Sadly, by the end of class, Coach grew tired of his bellyaching and asked Al to heal him.