Training, and yet more training that seemed to be all that we could expect. It would not have been so bad if the training had been actual training, where we got pointers and help in developing our skills, but Steven seemed resolute in the past, in helping just enough, and no more.

So wash, a trip to the jakes, wash hands. I felt fresher, the attribute gains were starting to have a real impact. But the amount of energy expended over the last 4 days was immense and the amount of food that we were eating was barely sufficient, for normal output.

Looking at Fanny and Robert, both were losing weight, something needed to be done. I called out to them as I hit the food line. “Double up, stuff your faces with anything, grab food”

While I was particularly aware of my team, It was noticeable that many others started doing the same thing. The other teams did not seem to be as badly affected, Perhaps Steven was a particularly nasty individual.

It was not long, I had only just made it back to the food line for seconds when the command came “Form up, and follow”. I grabbed some bread and moved quickly for the exit.

Eating on the run is not pleasant. Neither Robert nor Fanny had made it back to the food, so I shared the bread with them.

Yet again the route was different although some of the alleyways at either end of the path were becoming familiar. There was the slightest hint of what I had come to be aware of as the start of a skill forming. As time passes I should try and address this via visualization, and a command. I suspected that it would be a passive skill, but there could be multiple flavors.

We soon arrived at the training arena. At the start, there was pressure coming from the stand in general. Now that days had passed and I was better at experiencing being observed, it was clear that the numbers of entities that were in the stands had dropped and other than one cluster in particular which was more powerful by multiples than any of the other clusters, the power that was being experienced had dropped as well.

As usual, Steven Barked commands at us. I was to focus on strike, Fanny on Hammering, and Robert still was having to work on the cut. It almost made sense for Fanny to work on such a skill as there was no one to heal unless Steven beat one of us up again. But Robert was a mage, he should be all about distance Damage. Not trying to become a bloody assassin.

But the force that was the curse, gave me little option, and the other two none at all.

So the morning progressed with me striking the dummies with increasing force, Fanny by late morning was knocking them out of the ground three out of five attempts. Interestingly after a while, Steven quickly left the enclosure and came back with some servants. At least I hoped that is what they were because he treated them closer to slaves than servants. But then we were not being treated all that well, so perhaps I was projecting.

They started replacing the dummies as most of them could only survive one or two of my strikes. And while they did not take as much damage from Fanny’s ‘Hammering’ they did need to be dragged back and set up again. As for Robert, he was not having anywhere as much luck with his skill as Fanny and myself. Steven was constantly riding him, niggling, and generally distracting him. At the start of the day he was slicing through the dummies about every third or fourth time. Towards lunch, this had reduced to one in six or seven attempts. Sweat was running from Robert’s body.

It felt as if Steven was affecting him via the curse to be unable to time the invocation correctly. His skill was particularly sensitive to timing. My skill seemed much less sensitive to the timing but very sensitive to the amount of power that I used. I was using as little as I could to conserve my resources as much as possible. Fanny was somewhere between Robert and me, Both power and timing drove her skill. Yet both of them were unable to game Steven because the curse was driving them and pushing them to the maximum effort even when this just resulted in poorer and poorer results.

Lunchtime was a particularly bleak time. The only good thing was all three of us had skill, and attribute improvements. I as usual concealed the magnitude of mine, But both Fanny and Robert had no choice.

My actual results looked like this

Skill improvement - Common War Hammer I - 6/10

Skill Improvement - basic Strike - 4/10

Skill Improvement - basic Strike - 5/10

Attribute Improvement - Strength +1

Attribute Improvement - Speed +1

New Skill - Training - 1/10

But I told Steven that I had only achieved

Strike has improved by 2

Strength has improved by 1.

As I did so I caught a strong flash of interest from the stands. The powerful mind was still paying attention, and rather than a sense of increase it was more a sense of quiet satisfaction. Even as I was aware of this I was notified of a new skill. This was different from any skill that I had received since my arrival, in that I gained just a little bit of extra information when I gained it.

New Skill - Unusual Mental Awareness - 1/40 - Hidden

As this happened a flood of power rushed through my system, and a new channel appeared in the river system. Pain ripped through my mind, How could I have acquired a skill directly at the unusual level?

As this occurred I sensed that there were potential skills that were part of other streams that had migrated to this greater flow. Concepts floated just out of reach, while other skills were there but not there at the same time, and a few skills seemed to exist in multiple places.

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Skill improvement - Common pain Resistance - 3/20

Skill improvement - Common pain Resistance - 4/20

Skill improvement - Common pain Resistance - 5/20

Skill improvement - Common pain Resistance - 6/20

Skill improvement - Common pain Resistance - 7/20

Attribute Improved - Will +3

Attribute Improved - Mental Fortitude +2

But Fanny had to declare all of her results,

Skill improvement - Basic Hammering - +4

as did Robert.

Skill improvement - Basic Slice- +1

My sudden reaction to the new skills and attributes was caught by Steven, he commanded me to “explain what just happened to you. Fonial”.

All I could say was that a new attribute had happened that my Body had improved by 2 points.

I asked in an attempt to distract him “what type of attribute is Body, as it does not sound anything like an attribute.”

With a snarl, He switched into lecture mode. It looked as if I might have succeeded in distracting him

“There are three pillars to your skills and power. Mind, Body, and Spirit each of these aspects drive the power that is your skills. Your attributes are components of each of these fundamental pillars, Each skill is influenced by either a particular attribute or more commonly by a pillar most of the initial skills that you learn tend to be only influenced by the pillars.

Improving the pillar increases the ease that advancing a skill will have. Also, the more that you improve the skills that are influenced by one of the pillars the easier it is to improve that pillar. Each individual has different limits for the maximum attribute counts that each pillar can support. There is no way of knowing what those limits are.

This means that within a pillar the total of the values that each attribute holds is limited by the limit of that pillar. The only way that a particular attribute can be improved once you reach that limit is to expand the pillar and that is impossibly difficult for normal people. That is the major thing that is broken with you Heroes. You seem to be able to advance your pillar with an ease that is unfair to the rest of the population. Even your descendants will have a similar advantage, if not to the same extent.”

I could recognize the sheer bitterness of that short speech. I suspected that Steven had reached limits within his pillars.

He continued “while the common attributes such as strength, and dexterity within Body, Intellect, and Flexibility within Mind Wisdom and Vision within Spirit

These attributes have conflicting names and I don’t know why they are within these Pillars, but they are.

Body attributes are most common and easiest for the young to improve, but as you age, Intellect becomes easier, and then when your body has reached its peak you can improve your spirit.

This fits well with your continued training this afternoon. At your request equipment that is used to improve and enhance your bodies was provided. Since you don’t deem it important to improve your combat skills. I will leave you to your own devices until I return to escort you back to the barracks. If you have failed to produce significant improvements in all aspects of your bodies by the time I return. I will have the equipment removed, and have my troops beat you to improve the toughness of your skin and bones.”

With this threat, Steven marched from the circle.

We all looked at each other. Fanny said, “I for one do not want to be beaten, I have such limited healing that I doubt that I would be able to help myself let alone you.”

Robert said “In our previous world there was not this level of physical conflict. We trained our minds, not the body”

I replied “While my world was a marvel of science. We had nothing like what I have experienced here. But many people were driven by sport and fitness. This was an outlet for our historic combative nature. To stop killing each other we developed sports both as a way to train for combat, and as combat became less critical in day-to-day life for most inhabitants of our world ‘Sport’ replaced that conflict and gave tribal identity. That being the case we learned how to train the body. Without the skills and attributes of this world, our top athletes became very powerful physically through this training.

We also had martial arts, which had developed out of various combat styles and became self-defense systems and sports. These arts had various training methods that people believed gave them special or even mystical powers. I think that it is possible in this universe for this to be true.

I have been considering our training options. In principle the tools that have been provided are useful. I cannot help but feel that they are very crude and blunt tools.

By using our strengths to push ourselves it might be possible to achieve things that would not be possible otherwise.

Robert, I suggest that you take a lightweight that is just heavy enough that you struggle to hold it and use the skill cut. While I don’t expect that to start with that it will do much extra damage, considering the size of the daggers the wounds that are opened are outsized. This means that the skill is having the effect, not the Daggers. To start with, go back to basics and only move as fast as you can while timing the skill perfectly. Timing for you is more important than speed. If I could I would have Daggers that were very heavy but we need to work with what we have. As you get the timing right, slowly increase the speed, then increase the weight. Each time that you have it perfect either speed up or make the weight heavier. This should improve your speed, strength, and endurance. And I think that if these are all Body attributes then the timing will be a mind attribute, so this exercise will work with your skill and at least four separate attributes all at the same time.

Fanny, I am not as sure what to do for you. You could do the same thing or use a weight that means that you can barely swing it. Which one do you feel would be best for you.”

“I think that I need more strength and using the heavier weight calls me in some way.”

“My problem is that my strength and endurance have grown and are starting to outstrip my control. I am hoping that there is an attribute or skill that I can gain that will improve my control. So I plan to use just the shaft of one of the weights, slow down, and get my timing right. When I have that right, I will hang a weight from a rope to my wrist, since it will be swinging and moving somewhat independently of my movements, my control, speed, and accuracy should improve. As I gain in confidence I will alternate between moving faster, having heavier weights, and adding additional weights with differing lengths of rope.”

We will spend a candle mark doing these exercises and then have a recap. Try to avoid considering any updates. Just dismiss them from your vision, we will all review them during the recap.