Great Journey: Whims of Fate

Bastion suffered through continuous single combat training until he turned fifteen years of age. Throughout the entire time, he never won a single match. His opponents kept getting stronger, and his full-body leather training outfit grew increasingly heavy.

Each fight always ended with a five minute beatdown, no matter how long Bastion managed to delay the inevitable. Even when he exhausted all his stamina and mana in an all out offensive, ensuring every attack landed with full force, it still wasn't enough to defeat his opponents.

Still, he never once complained. He was well aware of the steady improvements in his strength and endurance.

By the time he turned fifteen, Bastion stood at 6 feet tall, with a lean and muscular build. He had long blond hair like his mother and deep blue eyes like his father. He had never exercised either. No targeted training or weight lifting. Just the suit and sparring.

On his fifteenth birthday, Sibelle woke him up, bathed him, and dressed him as usual, but then announced he wouldn't be training today.

"Young Master, you will not have your regular training session today. Instead, you will choose your shadow."

"Ah, right, that was when I turned fifteen."

"Yes. Now, please follow me."

Bastion was led to a room in the castle, where six maids and six butlers awaited. They all appeared quite mature, in their twenties, and stood at least six feet tall, likely due to their reverse jointed legs. They all had black hair and fur, with the only difference being their eye color.

In front of them, their weapons were placed on a table. There were daggers, throwing knives, swords, spears, halberds, chains, sickles, bows, and all sorts of other weapons.

"When choosing a shadow, it is important to take into account combat dynamics. A shadow is more than just an assassin, servant, or combatant. They are also your partner in battle, so they must be capable of supporting you where you are weakest," Sibelle advised.

Bastion didn't care much for the weapons they wielded. As a sword, and shield user, he was quite flexible. Since there were no shields on the table, he could accept any one of them.

"All of them want to be my shadow? Not a single one has an ongoing relationship, desires to have a family, or holds greater loyalties to you, the chief of the shadow wolfkin village, or my father?" Bastion asked Sibelle, his gaze fixed on the candidates.

"Yes, Young Master," Sibelle replied.

"Even if I asked them to burn their village to the ground and kill my family?"

"Yes, Young Master," Sibelle replied without the slightest hesitation.

Bastion noticed the subtle shifts in expression on each candidate as he asked Sibelle each question.

Four of them didn't want to be his shadow. They were likely brought here by the village chief against their will due to their talent, and they only wanted to return home.

Another four were already in relationships, most likely having fallen in love during training.

Three held greater loyalties, their eyes briefly flickering with anger whenever Bastion mentioned the village chief or the idea of burning down their village.

The last one showed a reaction as well when the desire for a family was mentioned, but instead of regret at losing it, there was hope in her eyes. Bastion could only conclude that he was the object of her desires.

His decision was obvious then.

Bastion considers himself a good judge of character, enough to have made it a hobby back on Earth. He was certain that the last one left was the true shadow candidate, loyal to a fault and perfect in every way.

He nodded simply and walked toward the leftmost candidate. A maid with icy blue eyes. He recognized her as the girl who had saved his life all those years ago.

'I must have left a greater impression than I realized back then,' Bastion thought.

It had been ten years since then, and she had spent all that time training while still holding onto the hope of starting a family with him. Her determination must have been extraordinary.

"Sibelle, are you this girl's mother, perhaps? You have the same eye color," Bastion asked.

"No, Young Master. Light blue eyes are the most common in our tribe, with gold being a close second. I have not borne a daughter with your father yet," she replied.

"What is your name?" Bastion asked the girl.

"Elyra, Young Master."

"Would you be willing to be my shadow?"

"Yes, Master," Elyra replied immediately, her eagerness clear.

"I have found my shadow, Sibelle."

Sibelle waved the other candidates away, prompting them to gather their weapons before leaving the room. The only weapons left on the table were twin swords, twin daggers, and throwing knives.

"Congratulations, Young Master. You have chosen the most talented and strongest of the candidates," Sibelle said.

"I only chose the most loyal," Bastion replied, prompting a smile from Elyra.

"She will be replacing me as your personal maid from now on."

"I'll miss you, Sibelle."

"You'll still see me during your lessons," she replied with a chuckle.

"Lessons?"

"Yes. Typically, education begins at five years old and continues until eighteen. You, on the other hand, completed your studies by the time you turned five. That's why your afternoons have always been dedicated to additional training."

"I couldn't have used that time to practice my magic?"

"I assure you, Young Master, your time was well spent. Now, why don't we begin your combat training for today," Sibelle said as she led Bastion to the training grounds with Elyra in tow.

"Young Master," Sibelle began, "your vitality has been the primary focus of your physical training for the past ten years, ever since you first began. This regimen has ensured that you possess the endurance necessary to properly wear a knight's armor. It has also conditioned you to withstand and recover from broken bones, torn ligaments, and flesh wounds.

"That phase of your training is now complete. Moving forward, your sessions will shift to focus on overall combat ability, which includes the use of magic in battle. From this point on, you will wear a full set of heavy armor and will be permitted to use any means at your disposal to fend off a variety of opponents."

Bastion had only ever been allowed to use skills in combat while wearing heavy, restrictive leather armor. He was always pitted against overwhelmingly powerful knights or warriors, which meant he had never won a single fight, not even when using throws, grappling, or disarming techniques. The sheer difference in strength rendered any mastery of technique meaningless.

Now, for the first time, he finally had a chance to gauge his actual combat capabilities.

With Elyra's help, Bastion donned a suit of heavy armor that, to his surprise, was far less restrictive than the leather gear he had previously worn.

'This is lighter and less restrictive than I expected. Though… putting it on took way too long. I'll practically have to travel in this just to avoid being caught off guard,' Bastion thought.

Bastion selected a tall, narrow shield that could completely cover him if he ducked, along with a longer whip sword fit for his height.

After checking his mobility and loosening up, he stepped into the sparring ring, 

"Your opponent today will be your shadow," Sibelle announced, as Elyra stepped forward, twin swords in hand. "It's important to understand the capabilities of your shadow."

"I'm still going to get my ass kicked, aren't I?" Bastion complained, just before Elyra dashed at him at full speed.

He planted his shield on the ground and leveled his sword, ready to strike.

Elyra circled around him, searching for an opening, but Bastion pivoted smoothly, keeping his shield between them and facing her no matter her movements.

Suddenly, Elyra darted back before charging forward, aiming for his right side where he only had a sword to defend. She raised both her swords in a cross, ready to strike.

Bastion lifted his shield, swinging it for a shield bash, but Elyra jolted back once more, avoiding direct engagement. She seemed intent on waiting for a better opening rather than rushing in.

As their fight continued, Elyra suddenly cast a patch of dark magic aimed at Bastion's eyes, trying to blind him. However, Bastion countered with a burst of light magic, neutralizing the attack.

It was a clever move, but Bastion had seen it before. He often imagined using similar tricks himself. They weren't enough to faze him. 

Elyra, realizing her magic wasn't working, decided to engage him directly, attacking blow for blow. She alternated between both weapons, trying to force an opening by pushing his sword or shield away, but Bastion parried each strike with precision.

He had faced stronger and faster opponents, and it didn't take long to realize that Elyra's strength was only slightly greater than his own. However, her speed was a significant advantage.

As Bastion grew more comfortable with her rhythm, he prepared for her next move. When she swung with her left sword, he blocked with his sword, channeling mana into it and transforming half of it into a whip while maintaining his guard. 

The whip snaked around Elyra's neck, and just as it was about to close in for the win, Elyra ducked, dropped her swords, and drew the knives from her waist.

In an instant, she slipped past his guard, bypassing both his sword and shield. She found a gap in his armor and drove the knives beneath his ribs, puncturing his lung and liver.

Bastion attempted to escape with Dodge, but Elyra followed his movements with Dash, stabbing at the same spots from different angles.

He tried to grab her, but she ducked lower, weaving around his body and stabbing his back, targeting his organs.

In a final, desperate attempt, Bastion covered himself in earth magic and sent it flying in all directions. But Elyra used Jump to evade the burst of stones, hooked both daggers under his chin, and stepped on his shoulders, ready to rip his head off.

"That's enough. The winner is Elyra," Sibelle announced as she walked over and administered the potions.

"Damn! It was like fighting a slippery snake. Are you sure you're a Shadow Wolfkin?" Bastion cursed.

"Quite certain, Master," she replied with a pleased expression.

"You had me completely figured out from the beginning, right?"

"I was only wary of your whip sword, Master. Luckily, you panicked at the end when you could have used it to stab me."

"You would have evaded, and I would have wrapped my whip around myself, effectively disarming myself. I would have lost anyway. Well done, Elyra."

"Thank you, Master," she beamed with joy.

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