The days went by with more training and Micheal's new project. He got with Forgen about borrowing the tools he would need to fit his old stave into this new weapon and for advice on doing so. Lindsey hopped in when she saw what he had chosen. The chance to keep his old staff in the new weapon was a boon to her eyes. Even if he had been only traveling with it for a few days they were on a time crunch and having the familiar stave brought into the weapon would only help Micheal adjust to its established enchantment.
Forgen even checked and approved of the choice Micheal had made in the thickly bladed short sword. Apparently he had gotten it at a steal for price like Sarra had said. Micheal was secretly very glad the old smith hadn't checked the blade, but also felt a little guilty. Ultimately though he knew he needed every advantage he could get. A mythril short sword might have been out of his budget otherwise.
So training with armor began. That meant his morning runs were done wearing it, and practice with the quarterstaff and sword with it too. That made every moment of training all the more draining. With his 'focus' being his quarterstaff left to be sanded down and fitted to the new weapon that meant little magic practice could, or perhaps should be done until he finished it. So that time instead was spent with Lindsey talking about the exact nature of magic as she saw it and teaching him some of the more traditional ways of magic to further his understanding now that he had the feel for it.
There were many running theories in the Mages Guild, but Lindsey thought all the mana in the leylines had to come from somewhere and that somewhere often helped in the creation of monsters and the acceleration of their growth. She didn't see the source as a God or some other kind of divine entity, but as part of the natural world and its balance.
She often felt she could feel the mana in veins and rivers all around her during moments of focus, and especially when she was in nature when her senses of feeling other casters' will wasn't muddling her perception with noise. What she was feeling was the essence of what the Magus would call the Draw, which was the active ability one had to take in mana into their spirit. She carefully avoided the subject, but clearly knew of its existence as she carefully spoke to Micheal about the nature of magic. It must have been the way they all started, learning of the advanced techniques only later after the apprentice Magus learned more about magic and how it worked.
And Micheal in turn, explained between planing and sanding his stave to the right shape about what he knew of women's anatomy and the basics of pregnancies often with crude drawings he made with charcoal pencils and rough paper. He covered everything from the basic structure of the organs, the small differences between men and women's skeletal structure, and off track a little into how the rest of the body worked. Lindsey who was long used to scholarly tasks found the information a bit morbid, but interesting. She ended up asking all sorts of questions with him answering as best he could and admitting where he had gaps in his knowledge.
His drawings and explanations were crude and unorganized, but Lindsey seemed to gain an understanding. She even thought he knew a great deal, but it was mostly just what he had learned in health class, and various biology classes he had taken during his years of standard schooling.
He surmised that the magical potion based healing and that of faith healers often lead people away from intrusive surgeries so maybe there just wasn't a whole lot of knowledge out there about the specifics. People here seemed to take monsters easily enough, so what was so strange or interesting about the amazing mechanics of a woman's body?
Lindsey herself had no idea just when she had become pregnant; she admitted that she rarely let Mike be very careful about it through a fit of embarrassed giggling. She did turn the tables to ask about Vivian and him.
Micheal provided a vague summary of how he thought things were going and she took it in seeming very happy. She did ask some questions that leaned a bit toward what Sarra had said, but nowhere near as direct or rude in nature. She was just curious it seemed. She knew Mike thought Vivian was kind of interesting, and that he also thought the cotton ball tails on Bunnary girls were cute, but little else. Mike even sat with them in Micheal's and Vivian's room one of the days they were talking about this.
When asked he simply said he would never have thought of being with any of the Fae Born with human girls around. After a little teasing and pressing he admitted he would if given no choice, but affirmed quickly that Lindsey was really the only woman for him one way or another. That got him a kiss that he wasn't completely ready for and was almost panting by the time Lindsey let him go.
Vivian, Eva, and Forgen often left during that part of the day to go to the Mages Guild. They were meeting with the rest of the Unbroken Guards leaders in Three Bridge and spread out in other cities on the shores of the large Lake of Miorenne. They were discussing what information they had on the goings on and the continuing storms outside the city walls. It appeared that long ago the communication orb technology spread to the cities of Treaonne, and Ruldia linking not only the adventurer's guilds leadership, but that of the governance.
That made communication between the cities quick and easy, and helped aid the Mages of the Guild in making ritual shields against the violent wind and rains. It wasn't so with the many villages and little tiny towns dotted around the area which were a constant concern. Especially with the reports of the surging population of orcs in the area. Actions were being taken by adventuring groups to get any and all villagers into the walls of the cities nearest them everyday. Still dark rumors spread of failed attempts, and worse, whole parties never arriving at the villages they were supposed to save.
Tales began to spread of orc shamans being seen among the various groups of orcs. That was a strange occurrence to say the least as few had the talent, and less of their kind had the patience to teach or be taught. Then came news that the orcs were attempting to control some of the local elementals and were sacking their hidden temples.
While normally dormant these elementals were actually everywhere and in various forms large and small as Micheal came to learn. These elementals moved unseen for the most part living in a world just a layer outside or beyond plain human sight, reminding him much of the Kami of the Shinto religion in some of their structure; especially when it became clear that shrines dedicated to these elementals were often prayed to and given offerings by the people who lived near them. The key part of that information being that there would be temples to them built here or there and were used to stabilize the mana in the area or so they were told.
Of course Jakcova had been the one to reveal this and explain the appearance of one such great elemental in the center of the great lake, but it had apparently been met with skepticism for some days before he wore down the other Mages Guild and city officials into believing him. It took time as village lore and knowledge was passed to the people in charge, but eventually a plan was formed to deal with the problem.
Whatever the orc shamans had done it very nearly drove the Elemental Spirit mad as evidenced by the raging storms wracking the area. Attempts were made to communicate with the spirit, but to no avail until near to a week later when the storms suddenly and vastly decreased in potency. The Goddess Windreah had stepped forward and struck up a temporary truce with the spirit, and that was when the orders came some many days filled with training later. Her appearance in Jakcova's meeting with some of the city leaders in Three Bridge apparently had a great deal of effect to bolster his plan of action as well.
By then Micheal had been able to replace the haft of his broken sword staff and had it bound within the steel banding that ran down the length. Forgen's advice and tools had a strong hand in success, but Micheal had done nearly all the work himself. He even had a day's practice with it going through forms and getting edge and striking alignments right with Vivian's and Forgen's combined guidance.
For the most part it was planned that Jack stay by Micheal during fights now whenever possible and Micheal use his polearm skills he had been practicing to strike over top Jack's back attacking as a team. The sword staff was unique in that its large spike-like cross guard had the added benefit for defense for Jack while also protecting Micheal. As long as they were facing a single opponent few humanoid foes would stand a chance against their combined attack and defense of each other. That turned polearm practice also into a time to have Jack trained in on where to stand not only by command, but by training and reflex.
The Bear Dog took to it quickly and seemed to understand his place at his master's side almost instantly. Luna seemed to not be surprised, and mentioned that during the fight to save her Micheal and Jack had worked in concert just as they were trying to master and practice now. To make it more official though Micheal still worked the techniques into stances with Vivian and even little Julia who would often be in the front line as a melee fighter. At least while using a high stance Micheal actually managed to fight over the top of the little pugilist cat-girl rather successfully in training. It would be ideal for fighting tall, tough enemies like swamp trolls.
Meanwhile, Attack Stance was an offside stance for Jack giving him plenty of room to hit the enemy at the side and dodge back if needed to. Defend Stance brought Jack in close and would have him swipe at any foe that came close, and Flank Stance was used to direct Jack to speed around their foe and press the foe into facing one or another of them before striking them down. Dexter wearing his own light armor and the heaviest padding set in the Guild practice arena was an unwilling, but capable practice foe for them to practice a few trial runs.
Though no one said anything to either of them Luna hadn't kicked Dexter out since night after they talked. The Bunnary boys James, Ted, and Fredrick were buzzing with irritation after the second time Luna and Dexter came out from their room in the morning. The upside was when Luna asked him to 'please help Micheal' Dexter did, if grudgingly. And he didn't seem to wander off and vanish into the city as much and almost always made it back to eat with Luna and the group though both of them said little when at the table.
The news about the orcs startled Micheal a little bit, but after that it was down to business. He almost felt excited about it even with the terror and fear wiggling deep down inside somewhere. With the storms dying down and few days to let the water drain back into the lake and other basins they would be out adventuring again. He was also very glad that he had the chance to stay with the Guild under their dime as well.
Staying at an Inn with the rising prices of goods would have drained the four and half gold marks he had earned on the way here and during the one guild mission dry. A good deal of the reward for the contract for Jack had gone to him too, but he needed to get on with some contracts or he would be forced to rely on Vivian to pay for things. Which of course she would, but it wasn't out of some sense of manly obligation to pay everything that he avoided having that happen.
He wanted to show her he was a reliable companion. A worthy investment for not only the money she had already spent on him, but to show he could be a counter balance for her to lean on if she ever needed it. Even if somewhere in his head he knew he was still unsteady he resolved to show her that it wouldn't stay that way. That was always in his mind as he worked hard to shape himself into a more refined fighter.
Battle, survival, and the like didn't scare him so much as failing, and falling into such a weakened state again anyway. He would rather die than become the broken wretch he had been in that camp. A dark and determined resolve settled in him where others began to show anxiety. He would die fighting this orc tide back rather than be taken again. He would go bitterly, screaming into the dark, tearing at his foes with gnashing teeth, before they took him again.
Time went on, and what they were waiting for finally came up amid days of training and practice. He grew used to his armor, moving with his pack, and with at least a light load in it. A fighting load as Dexter called it. The key was to be able to move and run and fight, and survive a few nights on his own before getting somewhere he could resupply or somewhere he might have enough time to supply himself with what he needed.
There was a lot of talk about that between Micheal and the moody Nomad. Scavenging, woodcraft, fishing, and other survival skills showing themselves as passions they both shared. Dexter spoke of these things as if he had been ready to teach them all his life before taking Micheal out in the yard of the Adventurer's Guild building and demonstrating the lessons. Vivian even joined them for that, learning some of Dexter's techniques, and sharing many of her own.
The time with Dexter brought them a little closer too. They managed to form a real friendship as the days inside the town with the storm raging outside the magically protected walls went on, but it did finally come to an end.
Forgen called a meeting and the training seemed at an end as rumors had spread throughout the city about the goings on.
The group's plan was to get in on the massive open contract that Windreah herself had put out after meeting with the spirit. There was to be grand adventures ahead and was the largest part of what excited Micheal. Secret and ancient buildings all across the area around Lake Miorenne were to be made open to the adventurer's by the spirit of the lake to cleanse the afflictions of the spirit's temples.
There would be two weeks to do so before the temples would be closed once again and the spirit would resume her personal fight against the corrupting touch of the orcs shamans by drowning the land around the lake in violent storms once again. They had this one chance to beat back the orcs or they would all suffer attrition under the wrath of the powerful elemental. Already roads would be washed out, but if this went on even the towns would have very little means left to support themselves and the people would starve. The Brazen Boys Captain was visiting with their group again intent on getting his group mixed in with the Unbroken Guard once more.
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The current events reminded Micheal of the thousands of day dreams he had entertained while playing games and writing his own stories inspired by them. A dungeon run, a raid, and battle much like he had seen before in fiction was to become a reality right before his eyes.
While the thought of fighting filled him with no small trepidation he viewed this mission as his first real test. He felt like a new character with his stats rolled and the tutorial over with, starter weapon and gear in hand, and a few spells ready at his command.
This would be his life now, and as much as he had hated how he had come here and how he had suffered there was still a part of him that wanted very much to be a part of this world. Even without the responsibility he felt to the people and characters he had written into this world; this fantastical setting that had somehow became reality.
He was going on an adventure. That was half the point of his writing after all. Not just to entertain others, but to build a world of his own, and explore things unseen even if it was just really contained within the page and his own mind.
He could wield magic and fight! How could he not be at least a little excited? Even if he still was a little terrified.
The only bad thing was that Micheal had just chosen a weapon that was not really good for fighting indoors or in tight corridors. He secretly hoped for some large hallways, but started in earnest the next few days on doubling his training with his sword. The polearm practice would be set aside though he would still bring it along, but he didn't like the idea of facing down an orc with a weapon he hardly knew in a cramped hallway. Both Vivian and Forgen approved of his thinking as well. So the only practice he got with the polearm was when magic training with Lindsey resumed and when his newly acquired weapon was finished and ready.
The spear, a weapon of old no matter where one came from, was ideal for armies and war in the fact that it was easy to learn, easy to make, and could be used in formation. Micheal's weapon shared some of that; it wasn't hard to learn the basics of how to stab a foe, and keep his footing. The sword, even a short sword, was another matter.
It would take him years to fully master it, but his guild mates were determined to make him passable or better with the heavy mythril blade. That kept on with the break from it being the magic training he insisted on keeping with Lindsey. The schedule he had before maintained itself more or less with his lessons and he put all of himself into them to learn as best he could.
After a relatively unproductive first day with the newly repaired weapon, the second came with an almost immediate result. After trying stab and thrust and forward strike with his attack ability he tried something he hadn't the day before. He gathered his will and focused on the angry faced little rag doll and flicked out the but of his sword staff in an upwards strike.
The angry little doll came apart in a violent compacted blow that sprayed stuffing and bits of ragged cloth over the wall behind their little target range.
“Ethereal force damage?” Lindsey mused, seeming impressed.
“That's good. Force damage is like Arcane in that it's extremely effective against ghosts, spirits, and unarmored fleshy targets. Now just figure out how to do what with the front end so you can slip it past their armor.”
The mention of ghosts and spirits didn't really please Micheal. He had never been much of a believer of that back home and suddenly felt a little worried about the temple and what they would find. Hopefully it wasn't full of horribly twisted ghosts and elemental spirits.
He tried a little more before Lindsey stopped him. She ran off to one of the melee practice dummies and began dragging it over from the cluster of them set against a designated corner of the room. She wasn't showing just yet, at least not wearing a dress, but it was certainly starting after these few weeks of course Micheal had seen her nude about every night in the bath too. She glowed with life energy and a subtle radiance that seemed to accompany any smiling young mother.
Micheal's mood was especially bright after practicing with her everyday. Most days just being around the energetic and happy woman was enough to bring most people into a better mood, but with her like this the effect was doubled. There was something about knowing she had something precious growing inside her that made the training all that more important. His instincts keyed onto that, that his friend, or maybe just a female of his new come little tribe, was caring a baby and the fact of it seemed to give him extra strength and motivation he readily used every day.
Almost as if to spite that kind of thinking Lindsey refused his offer for help and dragged the dummy between their ranged targets and their range line of thirty yards. She waved him up.
“Hit it.” She said, “Just like you're casting a spell, but hit it.”
She twirled out her wand to demonstrate.
“Focus your will on taking your foe apart and strike!” She said with a jab at the target for emphasis.
She shrieked and scrambled backward when her wand struck. There was a snap of force that catapulted the dummy head over heels backward and into the stone ceiling and then the wall some fifteen yards back.
Micheal ran the short distance to her side and caught her before she fell over backward over her own feet, panting, and staring at her wand.
“I take it you didn't mean to do that exactly?” He asked her.
She just gulped and silently shook her head.
“I mean maybe I shouldn't have actually hit the thing with my wand, but it's actually strong enough now for me to stand on. I even deflected a blade with it once during the raid though it was just a little horrible goblin that got to me. I just never once tried hitting anything with it.” She explained in a rather amazed voice.
She looked over her wand end to end and gulped.
Micheal noticed she was leaning back against him still and 'jumper cabled' her as she stared at the toppled over dummy. They had become close enough for Micheal to learn just how ticklish her ribs were, and all it took was a gentle pinch to get her to go. She squealed and popped upright, but before she could turn and rebuke him he followed her up, patted her head, and got the one she brought down and then went and got another from the corner of the room.
“What are you doing?” She asked as he dragged it back and stood it before her.
She stared at it and then at him as he bent to pick up his spear.
“You know. What you said. Focus up and hit the thing.” He said with a fond smile for her.
She stared at him and then suddenly her face split in a very pleased smile though she blushed from ear to ear too. That was pretty unusual for her, but it was cute. She shone for those few moments with even more life than before.
“I'm a spell caster. I've never...” She said in a small voice.
“You were taught as a caster, and you think you have no talent with magic. But with the tiniest bit of will you smashed a dummy across a room with a jab from your wand. I'm going to take what you're teaching me and teach it right back. Get in there and try a melee strike.” He said taking her by the shoulders and getting her into a loose one handed sword stance by puppeteer-ing her hands, and tapping the sides of her booted feet with his own.
She turned a patient gaze up at him and then down at his hands. She was intensely cute this close, and her heavy breasts were a little too emphasized by the dress she hadn't yet had adjusted to completely hold them. The ties were open just enough to allow them the new room they needed and Micheal had to expend a great deal of his will to keep his eyes out of that tantalizing opening. He focused up, and urged her forward, thrusting her arm out with a little force on the back of her elbow.
She sheepishly poke the thing in the chest slowly going bright red from ear to ear and nothing happened.
“See just a fluke.” She said weakly still blushing madly.
Micheal sighed and left her before the dummy her own practice dummy. She watched him go back and take a position and begin striking the dummy with first light jabs and then harder strikes and then shifting stances and trying other angles while like in his sword lessons keeping the proper edge alignment of his polearm against the wood.
Sharp flakes and splinters of wood spat from it as he struck, but the edge did not catch or dull the magically enhanced weapon. He had checked that fact several times at first until he was convinced the blade would not damage from striking the hard wood target. He thought it strange after buying the broken weapon and repairing it. He had ground and sanded the rust and pits from the blade himself, and with Forgens help honed the edge to a proper fighting edge. That work had been able to change and mend the blade, but not this, not while it was in his hands. With his staff now confined within full length langets the weapon felt more alive than ever, ready, and even eager to strike out at the creatures that had once held Micheal captive.
Micheal noticed Lindsey as she gained some of her spirit back as he worked on feeling out where his will seemed to resonant most. It was hard, but then he was beginning to feel something. He thrust at the center of the dummy and actually managed to get the tip of the blade stuck fast in the wood.
He sighed. Maybe he shouldn't have struck so hard. He didn't want to bend the point really, and he had hesitated mid strike making it weak. It was then, as he grew close to the blade to pull it free that he felt it.
The spirit within the weapon, that leftover magic, writhed. The memory within it roared with anger, and the weapon itself almost seemed to shake itself free. Micheal stood back with it, shifting his grip in hand again with Lindsey watching him just beside his striking lane. She took a step back and nodded to him.
He pulled the swordstaff back and adjusted his feet for a long thrust. That felt right. The weapon hummed in his hands. Like with Vivian's spear in their room he called upon the memory within the weapon, the dark shape, the terrible foe was before him covered in its thick hide, and the weapon seemed to scream, raging, ready to strike in his hand.
He pulled back and lunged forward, extending with both hands and moving forward. His feet moved in what Vivian called the Pikeman's row meant to easily reach forward and step back in a long thrust. With long enough pikes and men in a line they could work this stance like a harvesting machine of death.
The blade of the weapon called to his will and in turn he pushed his will into it like he did when he cast ward or that force spell. White light blazed off the blade as his weapon grew near the target. After he struck and blinked off the after image he saw that his sword staff was buried to the crossguard through both layers of leather on front and back, and through the solid wood of the dummy's chest. The weapon still hummed in his hands and the blade came free easily with tendrils of smoke leaking out from the hole.
Lindsey clapped and bounced happily for him which did wonderfully unfortunate things to her pregnancy enhanced bosom. Micheal felt good about the strike too, but he pulled back and gestured for her to try. She stopped bouncing and looked back at her striking dummy.
She frowned a little, but then shook her head. A weakened, soft, and tentative resolve showed in her eyes as her shoulders settled into place.
“How...” She began meekly, but then asked more firmly; “How do I stand?”
“My wand is a little shorter than your new sword, but teach me to strike like you would.” She instructed taking a rough one handed sword stance.
Micheal came over behind her and showed her how to hold out her weapon in a very fencing-like stance with the wand held low. He bumped her feet until they were wide enough and her balance was centered. He gave her brief tips on keeping that balance centered as Forgen and Vivian had drilled into him, and then took her wrist in hand to show her a few mock thrusts that kept most of her body back and away from her target. The idea was to strike and not get hit in turn after all; it being a strategy that would work well with a buckler or just a weapon alone.
He worked her through a forward and back step that would keep her balanced just as Forgen had taught him.
“Okay. I think...” She nodded to herself and firmed her resolve. “I'll try it for real. Stand back.”
Micheal remembered the first jab and stood back. Well away actually.
Lindsey brought her wand up to her face, then resumed the stance clearly smiling to herself, and stepped forward and struck out with a thrust. Micheal actually felt her will, the excitement, the determination and doubt, all of it boiled together moments before it shot through her wand with the strike.
The dummy exploded. It was blown apart and away from her in a strike not that all different than Micheal's ranged attack, but with power that sundered the solid oaken center of the dummy like it paper mache. It was turned to sawdust almost entirely with only large splinters escaping that fate and smoke rose from the leather as it peeled away in strips like it had been pulled apart from the center of the dummy's chest.
Those strips landed last wafting down through the air like an inside out star shape and hit with a soft slap in the middle of the dusty practice area. She looked confident, happy, and proud of herself before her shoulders suddenly slumped. Then just as suddenly she pulled down her collar a little and peek in at her mark and laughed bitterly after she noticed the small light coming from it the same time Micheal did.
She started to cry, but said; “Ethereal force mixed with the weapon attack skill rune.”
Then she started bitterly laughing with tears spilling from her eyes.
“I've never gained a skill that quickly.” She said, before she struggled through a sob.
Micheal stepped closer to her unsure of how to comfort her before she turned and ran into his arms. She covered her face and began crying in earnest. Micheal squeezed his friend gently against his chest feeling very happy for her as much as she seemed to be hurting. He patted her head and brushed her hair from her face when he could.
“Somebody was taught in all the wrong areas I think.” Micheal said to her and she laughed bitterly against his chest while still crying.
“We have a spell blade or something like that in the guild now. Too bad she's pregnant though. Going to have to keep her in the back or get her in some custom heavy armor.” Lindsey laughed and cuddled against him.
“Thank you.” She said, “You said all that stuff about having faith in me and I really didn't think much of it until now.”
Micheal sighed and hugged her as warmly as he could manage. She sunk into his hug in response.
“Oh it was inside you all along and all that. You know how overblown and cringy friend speeches go.”
Feeling maybe a little too affectionate toward her he kissed the top of her head, but he rolled over his sudden surge of social awkwardness determined to make her feel better.
“Good job. Now you'll get to fight right next to Mike after you pop that baby out. There's a lot of training and getting beat up to fighting in melee so look forward to that.”
Lindsey just laughed and rubbed her face against his shirt excitedly. Her mood changed suddenly again as she began squealing a little in sheer delight.
“I never once thought...” She trailed off happily, wiping her eyes and setting back down on her heels.
“-Mike had even tried to talk me into it. My family has been mages forever. That's all that they allowed me to be. That's all I was ever told I would be.” She put her head firmly against his chest and then pushed again away smiling brightly.
“Thank you. Really.”
“I can't believe I never tried that myself. Want to go up and see what's around for food? I heard the menu is getting limited, but there's gotta be soup or something going.” She asked, blushing when her stomach growled loud enough for him to hear.
Micheal agreed and they headed upstairs with Lindsey happily humming to herself.