The use of Spirits in combat revolutionized warfare for the people of Janua, leading to a time, albeit short, when Awakened warriors felt that non-Spiritual armour and weapons were not worth their time or money. Needless to say, but these warriors did not last long on the battlefield. Iron and steel arms and armour were soon back in high demand, and young knights were drilled mercilessly in their use in order to tighten up the spots that their Spirit’s do not cover.
This is why Draco found himself face down in the dirt of his backyard, shirtless, covered in sweat and dirt; a weighted training sword in his right hand, and an iron and wood kite shield strapped to his left forearm. William stood a few feet in front of him, both hands resting on the pommel of his own training sword as he waited for his younger brother to get back up.
“William,” Draco spoke with his face still pressed to the ground, “Remind me again why I have to use this damn shield?”
“Because, Athuri… Draco,” William caught himself before taking a step forward. “Your fighting has become incredibly sloppy since you returned from your mission. I am aware of the new direction you’ve taken your first skill, but you are becoming reckless. Your attacks leave you wide open to counter attacks and ranged attacks. And since you absolutely refuse to even consider wearing plate armour-”
“Despite my begging you!” Maria’s voice came from the kitchen window.
“So therefore you are going to learn to use a shield.” William finished, tapping the tip of his training sword against the offending item attached to Draco’s appendage.
“Right.” The youngest Pendra grunted as he pushed himself off of the ground and sat back on his heels. From the garden where she had been picking berries, Willow skipped over and handed him a water skin from which he drank, then handed it back with a nod of thanks. “Do all shields weigh this much?” He asked, hefting his arm up to emphasize the strain he was feeling.
“Of course not.” William replied. “The gear you use in my training is all weighted to help you develop proper muscle memory and stamina. The shield we will get for you will be much lighter.”
“Thank the gods.” Draco exhaled, letting his head hang forward. He had been dreading the idea of carrying such a heavy item into actual combat. His gaze drifted over to Willow, currently picking strawberries in a white blouse and shorts that had once been pants; her hair done back in a practical tail.
“And she’s not training with me because…?”
“Because unlike you, her fighting style is perfectly balanced on offense and defense.” William said sharply. He had sparred with WIllow several times to see how she would fare in battle and had always been astounded at how quickly she not only came up with new skills and techniques, but how easily she could turn an opening into an opportunity to counter attack. She had never beaten him, but unlike with Draco, William had to put in some actual effort to make the girl admit defeat. It still baffled him how her seemingly innocent dance-like movements were actually a deadly combat art.
“Now then,” William said as he turned his full attention back to his brother. “On your feet soldier. You are not done training today until you can block five attacks in a row.”
“Come one!” Draco whined. “I can barely manage two!”
“I believe,” William couldn’t help but grin, “as the children say, ‘That sounds like it’s your problem’.”
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The silence was heavy around the dinner table that evening as the Pendra’s plus Willow ate their meal. Draco’s face was heavily bruised, and Maria was giving William a disapproving glare from across the table as WIllow ate in silence, her mouth too full of food to speak. William slowly sipped at his glass of whiskey, avoiding his sister’s look as Willow stopped her fork halfway to her mouth and looked at the older Pendras.
“So why isn’t Draco engaged to Lulu anymore?” She asked, and the table was nearly engulfed in flames as William spat his whiskey out; the liquid spraying into the table’s candles and causing a brief yet significant fireball to shoot up from the table. Everyone looked to William as he coughed for a moment before looking at Willow.
“Where did that come from?” He asked, and WIllow opened her mouth and began to point at the candles. “Your question!” William cut her off before she could give the literal and non-topic answer. “How did you even hear about it?”
“Lulu?” Maria asked, looking at Draco in confusion, who sighed.
“She means Lucretsia Solomon.” He said, and Maria’s eyes widened as her face flushed.
“Oh. That is…” She started before William cut in.
“How did that even become a talking point?” He asked, his face a mixture of anger and confusion. Draco quickly explained what had happened during class that day, and his older siblings seemed to calm down.
“I just found it strange.” Draco finished, looking at his half finished meal. “Lucretsia was always so happy and friendly to everyone. But ever since I’ve started seeing her again at the Academy she seems… different.”
“Well Athurius,” Maria said with a smug grin. “When girls get older, they start to-”
“You know that’s not what I meant!” Draco snapped at his sister, blushing. “I mean her personality! It’s like she’s… I don’t know how to explain it.”
“She’s scared.” Willow stated flatly, reaching across the table and spearing what remained of Draco’s steak with her fork and yoinking it back to her own plate. “Her eyes, her aura. She’s scared.”
“Makes sense.” William said, nodding slowly as he picked his drink back up. “After what happened to you all at Fellwood, anyone would be worried.”
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“No.” Willow said, cutting into the meat and raising a large piece up to her mouth. “From the moment I met her, she’s been scared.”
William paused in taking his sip, staring at Willow from over the rim of the glass as she stuffed the meat into mouth and began to chew, her expression screaming bliss as she savored the steak. He shifted his gaze over to Maria, who was holding her tea cup on a saucer, staring at him. Both gave a tiny nod, then proceeded to drink.
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The Goldstone District had earned its name for a very simple reason: gold traded hands in this part of the city as easily as water ran through a steel grate. Wealthy nobles built their homes and successful merchants opened their shops here, and every morning the streets were bustling with foot traffic. Pages running errands for their employers, sales callers trying to bring the morning buyers to their stalls, and the early rising nobility making their rounds to try and find that morning’s rare treasure to flaunt over their peers for the day. And for Draco, this was a daily trial to get through this area without Willow stopping to drool over every food vendor that they passed. And this morning had been no different.
The two were making their way up the road to the Royal Highlands; Willow with a sweet roll in one hand and a steamed ham bun in the other as she chewed on the remnants of what had been a pork sausage. Draco’s stomach still felt uncomfortably full from the breakfast Maria had set out for them, and listening to Willow continue to eat made him feel nauseous. As they approached the tunnel leading through to the Highlands, Jethro and his squad came walking out. Both parties stopped to eye one another; Draco immediately taking note of Jethro’s attire.
“We get new uniforms?” he asked, eying Jethro up and down. The other boy shook his head before pointing a thumb over his shoulder at Evander.
“Our teacher insisted that we all get some proper gear ahead of schedule.” He said as the squad leader walked out of the tunnel and nodded to Draco and Willow.
“It is not that big of a jump,” Evander said as he walked up beside Jethro. “The Academy usually pushes the first years to get their own gear to compliment their Spirits within the first six months of the year. But… we have decided to push that up.”
Draco nodded silently in understanding. It did not take a genius to figure out why. He eyed up the four remaining members of Jethro’s team, admiring their armor. Jethro had gotten a hard leather coat with steel plates covering his chest and left shoulder, along with matching steel greaves for his shins. Roan wore a properly fitted steel breastplate and forearm guards, with thick black leather boots with steel caps over the toes. Wyatt had the exact same gear as Roan, only with the addition of a small steel and wood buckler on his right forearm. Klimt, it appeared, had gone all out and was wearing a suit of full plate armor, complete with a visored helmet. Even from where he stood a good thirty feet away, Draco could hear the pudgy boy within panting from the exertion of wearing the suit.
“So why do you have it on?” Draco asked, curiosity rising. “You going for a patrol?”
“No, we got a Quest.” Jethro said, his voice sounding less than enthusiastic.
“Like… specifically requested?” Draco asked, his eyes wide.
Getting requested for a Quest was a big deal for anyone, be they a Mercenary or a Knight. For Jethro’s team to get one was a huge deal; one which made Draco swell with envy.
“Not quite.” Evander said, glowering. “The request was for Jethro specifically.”
Draco’s envy nearly boiled over at those words, and he looked to see that no one in the team looked happy about it.
“So what’s the Quest?” Willow asked as she finished off her bun.
“Escorting a Camron Mire to Glenrose.” Evander stated, and Draco’s envy evaporated. Cameron Mire was a well known merchant in the Kingdom. He was one of Top Five Merchants, dealing in spices, grains, and rare materials from trade outside of the Kingdom. He was also a pompous prick who often tried to poach aspiring Knights from the academy for his personal guard. Many Knights from Common families would take him up on his offer, dropping out of the academy to seek a fortune from his business. Some did well, while most died from being sent off on dangerous scouting jobs to find new routes for trade or following up on rumors about new mineral mines. If Mire was seeking out Jethro personally, it must mean that he had heard about Jethro’s part in the Battle of Fellwood.
“Watch yourself,” Evander said to Draco. “If Mire has his eyes on Jethro, then he will be gunning for you soon enough. It is becoming well known in town that you have an Element already. He will want that on his payroll.”
“He has nothing I want.” Draco replied, and Evander smiled lightly.
“Even so, be careful.”
“Wait, you said you’re going to Glenrose?” Draco asked as he looked to Klimt, now doubled over in his full plate. “Isn’t that on the southern border of Scythania?”
Again Evander frowned.
“Yeah. We will have a wagon of our own, but even so we will be gone for the better part of the next two months. Which is why,” Evander reached into a bag on his hip, “I have these notes on everything your teachers will be covering while we are away.”
“WHAT?” Klimt cried, his voice ringing out from his helmet. “We have to do school work AND physical training on this Quest?”
“Oh shut your pie hole Woodro!” Roan barked, planting a boot into Klimt’s backside and sending the boy crashing to the ground. Everyone in the area took a moment to watch the fallen noble boy flail on the ground for few seconds before going limp, sweat visibly running out of the armor.
Evander walked over to help Klimt back to his feet, and Jethro turned to Draco.
“See you when we return.” Jethro said, and Draco nodded.
“Yeah. Take care out there.” He said, and Jethro smiled.
“Back at you.” He looked over to Willow. “Keep his head out of his ass while I’m gone, okay?”
“That won’t be hard.” Willow replied as she licked her fingers clean from her second breakfast. “He is not flexible enough to do such a thing.”
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“And that is why you are all going to be getting your own gear today.” Davon finished his speech while Draco and his team stood on the training field in silence. No one said anything until Arius raised his hand.
“And how are we paying for this?” He asked, and Davon blinked.
“Did I not say that the academy will be covering half of the cost?”
Everyone shook their heads, and Davon blinked again.
“Well… the academy will be covering half of the cost.”
“Where are we supposed to go?” Elizabeth asked. “I mean, I have no idea where to go to ask for armor and equipment.”
“That’s up to you.” Davon replied. “There are several smiths and trailers in the city who do good work. Ask around. Ask some of the older students and professors. They can give you suggestions.”
“I’ll go to the Molten Hammer.” Saphira stated flatly. Davon looked her way and narrowed his eyes.
“That’s the one Sir Gerand goes to, correct?” He asked, and she nodded in reply.
“Than I shall go there too!” Elizabeth said quickly, clearly happy to take the route that let her avoid speaking to strangers as much as possible.
“I too shall entrust my future acquisitions to an establishment frequented by Sir Halfwing.” Sebastian grandly stated, and Arius merely nodded in agreement.
Draco looked to Willow, who nodded with a smile.
“I guess we are all going there.” He said, and the team set off into town.