New Training

It was the first month of winter and the snow was already two to three feet thick on the ground. The grasslands were blanketed in dazzling white with only the outcrops of isolated trees and weatherbeaten rocks breaking the undulating landscape.

A snow drizzle that was falling kept the visibility low and made it hard to navigate this open land.

In this place devoid of human inhabitants, an adult and two small children slowly made their appearance over a small hill. This group took turns pulling along a small sled as they tracked the footprints of some beast on the otherwise even snow.

Suddenly from over the next ridge at the front a huge wolf bounded out rushing towards them. It zoomed past them and jumped into the snow frolicking and rolling around like a young puppy.

A normal adventuring party would have long switched to battle mode to counter this large-sized wolf, but this frail looking lot trudged on without any concern.

"Elder, was it ok for us to leave the horse and wagon at farmer Brown's?"

Miki questioned through her tightly wound scarf.

"Don't worry, his barn is secure and it should not be a problem. That wagon travel to his barn actually cut our distance by nearly half. This is what Chu calculated when we first did it."

Mr Thomas answered as they maintained their speed.

"I know, but I am just worried if they would care for our horses. Chu said everyone in this world wants money and we didn't give them any."

Miki pouted.

Thomas snorted before replying to the girl.

"You children have been living too good a life. Your Aunt had already given farmer Brown's wife four quilts she personally sewed. We also left him with four smoked pheasants. Just those gifts alone would make him fawn over our horses even more than his own. You girls' have been living even better than some of those families in a city."

"Hmph! It may be true but I bet no city girl can hunt as well as we can."

Mr Thomas only retort was a wry grin to that quick reply.

They continued onwards for about half an hour until they arrived at a small hill. The previous wolf tracks ended at the base of the hill amidst some outcrops.

Mr Thomas petted the head of the wolf walking beside him.

"I swear if wasn't for you lot, it might take us days before finding this place again. Without suitable landmarks the grasslands can be treacherous, causing a person to wander for weeks!"

He stepped forward and walked behind one of the large rocks. There he dusted off some snow and removed the natural bracken uncovering a crude wooden door fitted into the hillside.

Opening the door revealed a pitch black hole, the small entrance to a natural cave.

This cave was discovered by the wolves and first seen by Dyna.

This discovery highlighted two very important facts to Chu.

The first was how intelligent the wolves really were during their seemingly random prowls in the grasslands. They did not get lost but possessed an uncanny ability to return home. They had become so intelligent as to notify their master of any strange discovery.

'How they conveyed their messages, whether by writing, talking or e-mail, Chu had not the fricking clue.'

This was one enigmatic cabal he preferred to have little interact with, they always demanded something.

The second was how far these creatures and their young master were venturing every day. Dyna confessed that she had set out early in the morning to verify this strange discovery before returning home.

The first fact received endless praise from everyone as to how these animals were progressing. The second led to a severe scolding and a ban on these long distance escapades.

Mr Thomas lit a torch at the entrance and ventured inside. The two girls and the wolf followed behind with the sled.

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In just a few breaths the narrow entrance opened into a large cave. The ceiling was nearly twice as tall as Mr Thomas. A small heap of firewood was stacked on the side. Soon a small fire illuminated the darkness and drove the shadows away.

"It's already late, eat something and take a rest. At sunset we will begin."

Like a natural labyrinth the cave had tunnels that led to places undiscovered. Chu had enough documentary television viewer experience to halt any cave exploration. Only when he made ample preparations were they to venture into the unknown.

The goal of this team was the adjacent cave connected by a natural tunnel. It was in there that a small colony of bats were found.

Mr Thomas suggested they kill two birds with one stone. Since they had to clear out the bats before moving further into the caves, they would do so while training themselves.

Two fence doors were made, one blocked the exit they used while the other blocked the tunnel to the bats. The exit would remain blocked, Mr Thomas would control the other. At sunset the bats would use this cave to enter the grasslands. Mr Thomas work was to allow one bat at a time to enter the cave for the girls to battle.

Maybe in his past life Chu might have scoffed at such an idea.

'How hard was it to knock down a bat with a broom?'

When facing a vampire bat with fangs long and thick as a pinky finger, a body large as a hare and wings spanning five to six feet from both tips things become different. It is only natural to drop that broom and run screaming like a little girl.

At sunset Mr Thomas first blocked the exit leaving the wolf safely outside. This training was only for the two girls. He lit two torches and placed them on the walls before dousing out the fire in the middle. With the stage set he moved to the stout makeshift door.

The man went into the tunnel for a while and then scrambled out. Behind him a slow-moving shadow erupted out into the cave. He quickly closed the door blocking the others.

Lucy and Miki stood together as they watched their adversary circle above before swiftly diving down towards them. Both avoided the bat's attack by rolling on the ground.

"No! Don't waste time like that. You must either strike before the beast attacks or during its assault. That first dodge has already placed you on the defensive."

"Master, this is the first time I have ever seen something so horrible looking. It's urgghh!"

Miki half screamed as she dodged another attack.

"Stupid girl, you think all your opponents should look pretty like those birds and hares? One day I will drag your little butt into the sewers of the city. I want to hear your opinion when faced with those large rats and filthy creatures."

Before Miki could answer Lucy grabbed her cloak at the back and pulled her to the side. This move caused the sudden change in the bat's attack to veer past her missing by inches.

"Careful, if you dodge too early it can compensate its strike. The wobbling movement makes it difficult to predict."

The tense girl who was usually calm whispered.

Mr Thomas followed up on Lucy's observations.

"That's right, you can only dodge at the last moment or these bats will latch on to you. A bite near or around the neck is fatal. The bat saliva prevents the wounds from closing and makes it bleed freely. Don't wait to late though, it has a scream I mean a 'sonic attack' that renders the opponent paralyzed for a moment."

Mr Thomas used the words he heard from Chu. That day after witnessing the attack of a bat, the boy coined a new term that described that special attack.

Just as Mr Thomas finished talking the bat chose to attack using its sonic burst. Miki was helpless as she could only watch the beast close in on her face.

She could make out the blur of the flying monster in the dim lighting. Just before it sank its teeth into her a punch came out of nowhere blasting the creature onto the walls of the cave. As it struggled to crawl up, Mr Thomas plunged his sword into its head killing it instantly.

He looked up as both girls stumbled a little as the paralysis wore off.

"Remember the bats sonic attacks cover a wide range of a few feet. That's why they are so deadly when attacking in groups. Under the wide expanse of the night sky they are notorious for killing even experienced adventurers. Luckily these colonies of bats tend to be small, no larger than ten or so."

He continued talking as he opened the door to bait another creature.

"I can share with you the experiences of an old adventurer. There are three times to launch a successful strike on any wild creature. They are before, during or after it carries out its attack. For a vampire bat, the best time to attack is when it circles before swooping down to attack."

The next bat was dealt with very swiftly by Miki. The crossbolt felled it and she struck the fatal blow with her sword.

After three more kills, Mr Thomas let in one bat for them to practicing their dodging skills. This time they made sure to stand a little distance apart to help each other if struck by the sonic burst. The victim could be awoken from their daze by some form of physical contact.

Like this their training continued for half the night with intermittent rest between. Twice Mr Thomas had to step in to save them when the two were stuck in paralysis. At the end of the sweat drenching training he considered them baptized in facing these creatures.

"Not bad, I think these creatures are the best to improve your dodging and evasive skills. They are also great in destroying any complacency that may develop."

Seeing that even Lucy had a hard time in judging when to dodge the sonic attacks, this training was very fruitful. She may be fast but because she had trained to act at the last second made her extremely vulnerable to those sonic attacks.

"This kind of training can only help us grow."

Mr Thomas reiterated as Miki handed him a piece of bread and smoked meat.

Lucy was quiet as she munched on her bread in silence. She seemed to be thinking very deeply about something. Mr Thomas gave her a look of encouragement as he continued

"I think after this winter, you kids should be ready to face the greatest enemy and biggest threat to your life."