The sweat poured into his eyes; despite the cool breeze, it stung the already irritated eyes and my mood. pulling a corpse of a beast with my shadow magic to release the burden on my body, yet the weight still affected me all the same... Looking to see how Coby was doing was surprised to see a clean, sweat-free face, solemn, lost in his own thoughts. Carrying his corpse on his shoulder with indifference, despite the weight of the massive beast.
“‘You’re annoying, you know that?“ I huffed out between breaths. He looked over, confused by what prompted such words. He seemed to acknowledge my suffering as an unknown breeze increasing in gust for me. What was more annoying was it helped…. I looked away, not wanting to acknowledge he made me feel better, though I could feel his smile at knowing he helped.
“We can rest for a bit if it helps. I’m used to this; I've been doing it for years with my dad.“ My hands clench, though I hold nothing, and clench my teeth before I respond, “I’m fine,” even as a new drop sneaks its way into my eye, saying otherwise…
He did not press anymore, and for that, I was grateful, but as I looked around, despite what he said before, trying to teach me to track everything just looked the same…. I knew the direction of the sun, which helped a little where it shone through the trees, but it did not say where the town was or if we were off by a mile or three, so you could easily walk for days regardless…
He told me about the marks and how they used them to point... they marked the ways to go by a line for an away town, which was crossroads, or with an arrow to show home.
He said even when further away, the same concept applied; just instead of taking them home , the arrow was now taking you to the town crossroad, and the line was the city, and if further than that?
just arrows to show the city… He said they tried to mark once every 10-30 trees, depending on where they hunted and the angle they travelled. He could randomly see the marks in trees, and they helped, he supposed, if you used care….
“She would let you lead if you asked.“ His voice broke my inner thoughts, shaking me and making me lose control of my shadow magic, no longer dragging the beast. He did not notice I had stopped; still, he was moving forward casually.
“What?” I blurted out, trying to recover, and I grabbed the beast once more with my magic, pushing to close that distance before he saw my folly.
“I said she let you lead. She's only doing it to get better.”
He looked over at me impassively as if what he said was no big deal; to him it probably wasn't… “I don’t care who leads; I just don’t understand why we have to do the hard work while the girls sit and look pretty.” I tried to pull the corpse faster to show my annoyance but barely moved an inch faster, which he matched at the new pace easily.
“They're going to have to fight those wolves we left, so it is an excellent test for them. I felt they stayed close with the wind before we left…” I jerk my head back and tense, about to go back
“And we left them alone. Why?”
He tilted his head. “I told you they need to learn, and we need to turn in these corpses.“ It felt like we were going in a circle with his logic, so I dropped it, getting nowhere, and a breeze or not, this was killing me…
“Do you like her?“ That caused my heart to nearly stop, and I could not speak. He never cared about that stuff before. Why was he asking now? “Terra, I mean, she seems to like you a lot and keeps trying.“ I relaxed, finding my breath once more. He did not guess the right person; I did like…
“Why would I like that overgrown woman? She's pretty, but was too aggressive for my taste…”
“I’m sure she would relax a bit if you showed interest.” I scowl at him, but he was looking straight once more with that same passiveness I wanted to slap off his face.
“Why do you care…?”
“I don’t; just making small talk.“ That made me clench my fist, wanting to give him something to care about…
“How much farther is it? These talks and dragging this corpse are killing me... “ I watched him as it seemed he watched the sky for a moment as the wind blew to his will.
"About a quarter mile away. “
Thank the gods! I thought, letting out a small breath of relief; amusingly, after I asked, I saw signs of the town. The walls have been built as the people wandering were now common, versus just the sea of trees. I suppose the sweat in my eyes made me lose sight of what was right in front of me.
We went to the guildhall to get the wolves processed. My adopted sister was there tending to a guest but was free soon after, smiling at me with a wolf's grin; despite being a beastkin, she felt human to me. “Brother, you're looking well,“ she said, mocking me…. I knew for a fact I did not look well…
“I’m not here to chat; just dropping off the bodies with Coby. We left Len, and I don’t like it…” I tried to look beyond, but since I was inside, all I got to see was a random wall and a few passing adventurers chatting as they left for whatever adventure they sought. Coby was in the room beyond making sure we got a reward for our effort, leaving me time to talk to my sister, yet I kept fidgeting, not sitting still, and she noticed.
“They will be ok,“ she said sincerely.
"Uh?“ I looked, seeing her concern, unsure how to reply.
“Their adults. I’m not worried… though I hope they're safe… " Now that I had to think – really think – I don’t think this is the life I want… His sister saw his look of despair and was unsure how to help, so she moved from behind the counter and gave me a hug, surprising me; she never was affectionate.
“It’s ok, brother; you made it this far; you will get the rest of the way.” The sincerity of her words conflicted within me. I struggled between throwing her off, annoyed she was publicly embracing me, and thanking her for returning the favour; the indecisive choice was taken away from me as she pulled away; only then did I notice the absence of her warmth and how much it meant to me…
“Thanks, sis.”
“I’m just tired. Long day.” I did not look up, not wanting to see pity in her eyes. Instead, what met my downcast gaze was a small basket, confusing me and forcing me to look up, wondering why this gift appeared; it was my sister Ziala holding it, but when did she have time to get it? Was I so out of sorts that I did not even see her leave ?! She watched my face and laughed.
“I had it near the counter. I just grabbed it. You're not crazy,“ she mused. “It has mana potions, water, and light snacks. I wasn't sure what you needed today, but you left before I could give it to you.” He felt bad that he had left in a rush, starting the day…
“Thanks again, sis.“ He looked around, wondering how many were eavesdropping in his private moment, feeling self-conscious, but surprisingly, the few random people here were in their own little worlds, not noticing my major event. Guess I’m not that special, he mused to himself as Coby came from the side room, noticing the basket.
“Supplies?“
“Yeah, Sis is here helping us out. I’m sure it will help Len–“
“I made it for you…” His sister interjected with a huff, “Whatever, I don’t mind helping them too…” He looked confused at her, and she had her eyes closed, seeming to calm herself, but opened them with a glare at him.
“When a lady makes you a gift, you don’t share with everyone else; it's for you…” He nodded slowly. He thought little about it…
“Thank you, Ziala. This will help us, even if you did not mean to share.” Coby spoke before him. He glared at Coby, stealing his line. She smiled as if that was her intended reason all along, and she did not just act pissy for him saying something similar…
They wished her well and set off. He was already getting extremely antsy from knowing they left the girls behind; he cared little for Terra or Nina… but he did not like how much Leena was putting on herself to be something more… He remembered watching the pain in her eyes every time she failed, but she did not give up… True, she is not alone; she has us, but she wanted to lead… I tried that and failed more than once already…
“Anything good?“ Once more, Coby was annoying him, breaking his thoughts. Why does he keep trying to make small talk?
“What are you talking about?” He gave me an odd look and pointed at the basket. "Aha, right… um…. Water canteen, mana potions – just two – and some meat jerky. “ grabbing the jerky in a rush and eating it before Coby could ask... “It is mine, said between bites, not sharing the meat.
“Can I have some water? If not, I need to stop and get some. I left our water with the girls and was a bit thirsty.” That surprised him. The dude seemed like a rock with nothing affecting him… I hand him the canteen, which he gratefully drank before adding it back to the basket.
The trip back out was much more refreshing not carrying that dead weight. I was tempted to drink a potion, as it strained me a little pulling that beast, but I worried Len would need it more, so I avoided using it.
And it was still throwing me off how Coby just randomly turned and cut through the forest, but he was now slowing his pace about halfway there, then stopped, causing me to break out in a cold sweat.
The only reason I did not bolt to see what happened was that I would get lost along the way…. Unable to take the silence, I bark, wanting an answer… “Well, are you going to say why we stopped?“ His back tensed before he relaxed.
“I had no way of knowing before you got mad…” That was bad… Nobody said that with a happy ending…
“Who died…?” I said, barely above a whisper. His shocked face was a mild comfort, proving my guess wrong.
“WHAT?! NOBODY….” He was flustered, a rare sight I would love to mock him with, but I wasn’t in the mood as I waited for him to speak.
“It’s…an enormous monster like a giant boulder thing…” Once more, my blood ran cold by the gods. How many times can this happen before I faint or have a heart attack?
“WELL? WHAT ELSE…” I was tired of the slow speech. It was driving me nuts. I really need to be a better tracker… Even feeling with my shadows, I sense just trees? Maybe a few rabbits… I watched him as his face flipped between emotions.
“They won… Not sure how, but it’s dead and the wolves too…” He was looking to the west, and I was tired of the games, so I rushed forward. I will risk finding them myself….
The trees flew by in a sea of images. A few times I would have hit one or tripped, but I turned into a shadow and remained flying forward, pulsing outwards with shadow magic, hoping to feel anything to see where they were... A laugh alerted me, and I rushed in the direction I was near, now seeing the grove!
As I got close, I saw what looked like a massive battle; there were destroyed trees all around the edges, torn earth and random jagged edges of earth. The girls saw his panic state. Len was first to leap, drawing her sword and shield, looking for a fight. Terra, looking concerned, did not move, while Nina happily ate, wagging her tail… It was an absurdity that they looked in his direction. Where was the danger when, mere feet away from where they had the picnic and looks of concern for him, was a massive rock monster dead at their feet…
“How…” was all I could say, too stunned to say more. Leena relaxed, knowing that was what got him rushing, and Coby walked past him to join the girl holding the basket. He looked at his hand; it seemed he dropped it in his haste…
“Here, girls, it's only two potions, but I think you need it…” Coby said, offering it to the girls. Terra and Leena refused, and Nina shrugged, drinking one. He got closer, studying the beast. It was amazing to see up close, way over double his size and twice as wide or more! Its eyes were burnt out, as well as part of its face. Did Terra do that? He looked over at her in awe, and she blushed, knowing she did indeed do that.
Leena finally answered him after a bit of drawn-out silences. “We saw it birth from nothing, and it did not give us a chance to run, so we killed it.“ She paused, looking at Nina, who just smiled back. “We also killed the wolves.“ She said it with sadness, as if shamed, which made no sense; they won against a massive beast! Yet as he paid more attention to where Len stared, which was at Nina, he saw her shredded clothes…
“GOD’S DAMN IT!“ He was yelling and making a scene, but he did not care. “THIS IS WHY I WANTED TO STAY. THEY GOT HURT BECAUSE OF YOU. “ Leena flinched as if he slapped her, and he wanted to clarify that he meant Coby, but luckily, he spoke first.
“I NEVER WANTED TO LEAD. I DID MY BEST.” Coby retorted. His calm passiveness, broken in that moment, was surreal to see, but did nothing to change my futility of being able to do nothing to prevent this event.
“ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU. “Shocking everyone, it was Leena taking charge, standing proud and defiant despite the shame he saw in her eyes a moment ago. “I made the choice to stay and send you two off.“
“And we won.
“Maybe things could've been different…”
“Or better…” She looked to the side as those words trailed off, and I wanted to comfort her, but she focused once more with a stern look. “I want to lead, and Coby let me. She looked at me after that. “And you did not stop me.“ He wasn't sure if she was accusing him or defying him as she went on.
“IF we are a team and IF I’m leading, this was my outcome, and I will be better, but NO FIGHTING,” she yelled at the end while staring them both down. Coby looked ashamed, and he did not feel any better …
She deflated at that as if it was all just bravado, and she wasn't that strong. Nina got up and held her as did Terra; both looked at him as if he hit her, and he squirmed under their gaze…
She was crying now, and it hurt him to see this was a victory and a major win. He did not want to hurt her, and it seemed everything was still fresh for them. “You’re right; my bad. I jumped and did not look where I was going… You girls are amazing. I was just worried…” He wanted to say more but got choked up a bit admitting that and wasn't sure where to go from there.
“Thunk U fur curing were fine “terra still had that broken accent, but bless her for never stopping trying. He nodded slowly, refusing to look up. He thought for sure she would grab him, and he would have to push her away, but to his surprise, she left him alone. By the gods, how bad was that fight…?
Staring at the massive beast once more. He had no way of fighting this thing. He saw the slash in the legs seemingly doing nothing, so how did they strike the head? “Um… how do we retrieve this?" He asked, finally noticing the boon was. Now a major burden. The girls laughed, and so did Coby. Which threw him off, so he laughed to break the tension they had felt. Maybe things were not so bad, and he could keep going if it was with them…
“I’ve got a plan.“ Nina jumped with joy, and that which worried him very much was whatever she thought was a plan….
****
A decent breeze, a sea of trees, and a boring day. Life was good in this town, and he got the best job in the newly made guard tower: standing around watching people come and go and reporting if anything happened, which made him chuckle; nothing ever did. He heard the thumping in the distance, which must be the walls being built, the only constant noise beyond the birds, as he yawned, as the rhythm was lulling him into a lazy sleep. When the rhythm was off and happening too much?
Odd, he thought slowly, it got louder as if getting closer, and the ground started to vibrate… Then shake… and the distant pounding turned into almost a booming as he tried to focus on the direction. He had a low fire blessing; he used it to enhance his eyes, as he loved watching the ladies walking by and wanted a better look, yet now it was used to see in the distance what that noise was... and as he stared in awe as the giant beast ripped past trees…
It was massive, and even in the distance, he could see random people fleeing in terror. He was about to sound the warning horn and mount whatever defence he could when the absurdity of seeing 5 people riding the massive beast caused him to pause, if only in shock, wondering what was going on.
As he kept watching, indeed, carved into its back was a saddle of stone?! They rode the beast closer and closer, the booming steps only getting louder as it drew more guards and adventurers, ready to fight, and others to flee, as they did not have his sight and could not see as easily what was happening.
When they finally reached the nearly formed gate, the beast was too large to go any further; all could see clearly the beast was dead… And somehow only the gods knew how; they used magic to force it to move and rode it back... He cared not how but was amazed all the same; he had rock lizard meat before – fantastic stuff – and that much could feed the whole town for a week…
Beyond the random bickering of those kids who rode the beast, he finally managed to get close enough down from his tower to join the crowd to find out what the hell was going on. The main girl, the one with a soft glowing light, spoke up, explaining what led to this… event. And even as she told the story, the absurdity of it never stopped getting everyone to ask once more,
"What?"
****
A few hours later, at the tavern
She was exhausted between the battle, the emotional drain of the fighting and trying to lead...
It was time to call it a day and rest…
but they had to celebrate one last time at the inn… Even her brother and Teva rushed to join them, amazed at the events that transpired, and she was forced to tell the story again, though lucky for her, Nina was happy seeing her brother stop her dull telling of the events and gave it a lot more spice, making her seem like some hero when she failed more than once, but seeing the awe in her brother's eyes, she could not help but blush, filled with pride. Maybe this can work out…
Everyone enjoyed the evening meal, as the day was long, but drawing to a close, they worked out sharing the meat, and surprisingly even the rocks on the body had value. The only thing Terra asked for was the leather; she said that alone would clear any debt she owed, but she wanted to keep working with us, and seeing as we never even touched dungeons yet, I was grateful.
The tavern was full of life and packed to the brim. The only thing that stood out as odd was that one of the new employees was not happy. A bearkin seemed furious; maybe he did not like his job? She wanted to help, but all the voices and people wanting her attention kept her from being able to ask; perhaps another time…
They called it a day, promising to meet in a few days, as everyone needed time to recover and let things calm down. Sadly, even at home the story needed to be repeated, as Mom and Dad wanted a firsthand account. Nina was even losing steam and was no longer happy repeating events, which was an amusing twist for her as they were finally able to settle down and rest.
A few days passed, and most events settled, though it seemed they were too ambitious with how soon they could adventure once more. Arlin was needed to help with guarding while they sorted new recruits; Terra wanted time to get the leather processed and work a bit; Nina was also wishing to spend more time with her brother, already missing him even though she kept seeing him in the afternoon, which left just her sadly moping.
She felt like she was going backwards after everything that happened, and she wanted more experience. She was tempted to go to the guild hall but feared starting anything with new teams, as it would be short-term. She could go to the hunter guild and help there… Maybe later. She wanted to see Terra first; maybe they could help. If not, the hunter guild was the next stop.
The shop was closed, dispiriting her, but she tried anyway. In hopes of getting lucky, she yelled a few times, embarrassing herself and drawing attention. When she was about to leave the door open, to her relief, an annoyed lovely giant girl with flaming red eyes and dishevelled brown hair answered the door, wearing loose clothes, a grey shirt and leather pants. She was not happy least that’s what her face said – but I could not help but be happy to see her as she spoke, “whut guning on?”
“Thought wee wus stuying busy for fuw duys?” I knew she meant we were all supposed to have plans, but I needed this; she saw my distress. “cume on in…” She guided me inside and led me to the forge; it was a little too warm for my taste. Her dad was there, not wearing a shirt, working on converting some of the leather to strips and belts, making her blush when he looked at her and was facing her with the bare chest drenched with sweat. It made her wonder how Terra seemed ok, but she remembered she was blessed with fire and probably felt normal…
Thankful, she walked in front of him, blocking her view and stopping her from seeing the stare from the dad, making her feel awkward as she watched Terra sit next to him and pick up some leather and cut it. So it seemed even now she was working, making her feel bad. “su U wanted to tulk nuw talk “She noticed Terra was getting better with words, but they still sounded off. She breathed deep, then out slowly.
She looked at the forge, burning hot, the thick walls holding the heat. The dad had long lost interest in her and his daughter, seemingly indifferent to her plight, but a subtle shift in posture showed even now he was listening as she spoke. “Can you train me? I don’t want a repeat of before; I need more battle experience …”
Terra barked a laugh while the dad merely looked with a silent stare. “whut make U think I can tran u gurl?” Terra asked with full amusement.
Her cheek flushed at that, but she powered on. “I saw you fight and the gear you wore. You know more than I…” Terra shrugged, still not looking.
“Maybe… don’t mean I wunt waste tume on U. “ That stung a bit to hear she was assuming a lot.
“You're right, sorry.” I bowed and turned to leave when a loud bark from the dad startled me into stopping.
“TERRA “
“Be betteer “
“She neds hulp” the dad chided his daughter, and she turned to try to calm them before a fight could start but was a little too slow, it seemed, as Terra already was swinging back with her venom…
“I’m busy, U help…”
“UR the un that fught before…” That surprised her to hear; she just assumed Terra was self-taught. The dad stared at her for a bit, then at me, making me freeze despite the heat of the forge …
“Du U want to train child? “ Even though he was a beast of a man, the words were gentle, almost as if he were afraid to break her. She nodded, not trusting her voice as he let out a long bellow of breath, then said, “O-K, we do this thun.”
As he stood, she could not help but gaze in wonder; she had come to terms with his size, but now, after some time had passed, she forgot the real size of the man standing in front of her, and this close, she even saw scars reflecting in the fire's light, which surprised her. She knew healing potions could cure all, which meant he kept them as badges of honour or memories of past failures. She wasn't sure and was afraid to ask…
Terra kept working, indifferent to the event. As the dad walked past, she was unsure what to do but followed instead of just staring at an impassive Terra. He led her deeper into the back, past a few doors, two of which she assumed were their rooms, and out back, surprising her in awe and wonder at the sheer size of the land they owned.
They had a very large fenced backyard. The fence was at least 10 ft or more high, with large sections that were sanded like an arena? She wasn’t sure. Off to the side, deeper back, was a large shed and a fire pit and tables, perhaps for working, as well as eating in the sand area near the fence, was a training dummy with random weapons in the dirt.
She watched the dad wander around seemingly aimlessly at first before settling to walk to the table and sit and watched her waiting for her to do the same… When she sat, he stared, saying nothing. She felt awkward, wondering if she was supposed to speak, but he broke the silence.
“She nut wrung … u gut the right idea but poor execution” She wasn't sure how to respond to that as he went on, “mu dugther luv u as family, as du I but we cunt just stop our live fur u “she knew she was pushing her luck and was going to say it was ok, but he held up a massive hand, stalling her.
“She should hulp u regardless,“he went on as she focused on listening, “I fught muny battles, bled muny tumes “
“Only stup for terra mum “
“Knuw? Gut nuthing but me forge and daughter…”
“U want to make em bled? “ She nodded, afraid to speak.
“Then I teech u how to make-em bleed.“ He walked over to the dummies and picked up two flat, dull blades. He spoke as he walked back, handing her a blade. “There's two wuys to teech pratice and spur. “ She nodded. The blade was heavier than the gifted one. “I luke to fight, but U need buth and I’m busy…”
He guided her back to the dummies and showed her a few stances and strikes. “fur tuday practice forms, tomruw we du spars “she practice a few forms and swings. He shifted her stance a bit and corrected her form before leaving. After that, it was just her, and she felt kind of lonely, yet she kept going. As time passed in a blur, it was only when a voice spoke that she even knew the time had changed, so engrossed in trying to improve her form.
“nut bad I seen butter though.” It was Terra with two bowls of stew. She took the hint and stopped, only now feeling the sweat and hating herself. She wished she had planned ahead; she was wearing a dress, and it felt off practising in it vs something more form-fitting. Near the table, she saw once more Terra plan ahead, and there was a towel. She was grateful as she wiped herself off. Her muscles felt fine, but the mental exhaustion was still there.
“Huw lung U going do this?” She shrugged in response; she was going to keep doing it as long as it took… Terra saw the look in her eye and gave a boastful, loud, exaggerated sigh. “fune I will hulp U…” She stared her down and said the next part, “But U gut help me get a mun “ she laughed at that.
“What about Arlin? “ Terra barked a laugh.
“Gud luck landing me thuat, thou du try. I luv U to pull it off.” They both laughed and enjoyed the stew. She knew she was pushing herself off into Terra's life, but she needed this change, and watching Terra smile and slowly change as they ate, maybe she did too…
They worked out a time for tomorrow, and she would return then. It seems her family was having a good day without her. Nina visited Wolf but was annoyed he mostly ignored her for Teva. she couldn’t help but laugh, wondering how Nina thought it would be different, but bless her heart for her persistence, even as she pitied her brother losing his little newfound freedom.
The day started anew, and she made her way to the smith at the promised time. she was smarter today and wore a tighter shirt and leather pants. Terra was waiting for her, also wearing a shirt and pants and seeming more lively today. Even her dad had a vest on, making her happy, though his arms still showed easily.
They close the shop, surprising her and making her feel bad, but they assure her they were fine, and if anyone was serious, they took commissions vs just walk-ins. They guide her to the back; after some friendly banter, the dad held both swords easily and handed one to her while Terra watched “their two wuy to fught “
“Bloody and cuntrol “
“Buth are neded “
“One cun break u “
“One cun save u “
“But u must know buth. “she wasn't sure she understood as a voice spoke from the side, breaking the confusion on her face.
“Da a berserker in our trube “
“Used stune magic made em hard to She nodded slowly. Then wondered how bad the beast was that he still got scars…
“Furm is gud but bloody fights will happun “
“Gut to lern to survice buth…”
“I knuw you can heel so I will hurt U to show huw bad it cun be “
“My gul is not to hurt but tu teech. I fight till U full agree?” Nodding, she understood fighting till she fell... but he never gave her a sword. She looked and found one in the distance. She waited, unsure if he was just going to beat her down. But he just watched, waiting with the burning red eyes… As she slowly grabbed the sword, she wasn't sure if he was waiting for a signal, but she trusted this was a real fight, so she breathed out slowly, calming herself as she took the stance he showed her.
No sooner than the form was set, he rushed halfway across the yard, and the distance closed on instinct. She tried to pull up her shield, which was not their cursing; she tried to be aggressive, hoping to counter his rush.
He swung high at her head in a wide arc, easy to dodge despite its speed, but it forced her at an angle that his follow-up other hand strike slammed into her ribs, shattering them and knocking her in the air and back. The pain was blinding, and she slammed rolling on the ground, the gift healing her as fast as she registered the pain, and the shock was blinding, but she pulled herself up, surprised at the distance she rolled and flew. “U ok gurl?” he asked. She nodded, not trusting her voice even as tears dripped into the sand…
“Da can be cruel, but thus will teech u, “Terra said from the side passively. She knew this method was a form of brutal teaching, but she relished it, not in masochism but as forcing her to be better. The stance she had was good, but she let herself be tricked, not preparing for more swings...
She needed a minute but recovered. He took his old spot, waiting once more with a stone face that showed no emotion. For being a berserker, he sure could be calm… Right as she entered, the stance he rushed again with the same tactic; she rushed the same as before. she tried to swing first before him, and he arched sideways, narrowly avoiding her blade, and slammed a blade into her extended arm, breaking it, and slammed the other into her stomach, knocking her back. When she finally could focus, she vomited her meal and needed a moment to steady her mind as it was swimming even after the healing …
Terra rubbed her back in support, and she wasn't sure now how this training was helping her… “beast dun’t stup and will fught hard if u can wun vs me u wun vs all,” the dad said calmly. she laughed at that. How was she supposed to beat him at this rate…
“It’s unly first fight U get better, just ned time.” Terra offered comfort. She wasn't sure she agreed….
Swing smash break repeat, break shatter blackness… parry stab blackness… hours of slowly changing tactics, she tried many things, getting close, hitting few and never making him suffer like her… she was getting tired mentally. As they stopped to eat, she was depressed... Terra laughed watching her, which annoyed her. she loved the support of her staying by her side but hated how this went. Terra's dad finally spoke after all this time beating her down... “Terra nu,“ she heard her tsk and go get her hammers, confusing her….
She came back holding both hammers, and she wasn't sure what was happening. Terra, looking pissed, spoke, “Da think ur during good so to show progress, he’s using me like un ass…”. She nodded slowly but wasn't sure how this was going to show progress, and it had only been half a day…
But she got her weapon not looking forward to losing more of her meal. Terra looked ready for a fight, swinging the hammers, limbering up, waiting for her to take her stance. she let out a slow breath. Whatever... she thought, he hasn't broken me… she took her stance as Terra flared her flame magic within her body, and she had a burst of speed that surpassed her dad, surprising her. she did not have time to rush, so she watched the swings.
Terra swung high, giving her a chance to pull away before she could follow up with others. It surprised her that despite her speed, she could not turn easily, so in that moment, she smashed her blade into Terra's leg, reducing her speed as she went to one knee, but she swung a backhand hammer swing, slamming her leg in return as she did not pull back enough.
She started to go down but healed fast, used to her father's more powerful smashing swings as Terra tried to stand. I swung across her back, knocking her forward on all fours as she cursed a storm to my surprise, embarrassing me a bit, hearing her speaking like that… I sent healing to her; it seems that last swing broke a few ribs. At least now I know why she was so pissed. “See, da, I tuld U I’m nut a match…”
She was surprised that Terra did not want to fight her; it would not push her like her dad did. Perhaps it even gives her an ego of being good….
Fighting her dad put things in perspective – how much stronger a beast can be, even as he kept breaking her… she looked to Terra's dad for an answer as he nodded. As Terra went back to the table to sulk, she felt bad, but she endured a lot more and still did not complain.
It seems Terra did not share her view on training, not that she blamed her, but she remembered the broken form of her sister near death, and she never wanted things to get that far again so she would suffer instead… ”Tomorrow brung the shield; I teech U more thun “ she looked at him confused, and she heard a bitter laugh from Terra.
“Da had to break U so U knuw pain and still fight “
“Know he teach U huw nut to break and win…” That was interesting… Terra saw her face and laughed once more. “dun’t get excctied, he wull break U again.“
So it was a promise of pain, of change, and hope of a better tomorrow. She wasn’t sure if this was making her better or just mentally scarring her, but as she embraced the light, she could not help but feel hope.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59EMaFDFFj
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