The Andurin

Ikrei P.O.V.

“Lift up your guard young Sachear!” Krigsain said with a booming voice.

“Give me a breath.” I replied gasping.

We had been running through the forest most of the night. By this point, it was almost the first hour. The tendrils of the morning light were creeping in.

I know I’m fast but after last night, I knew my stamina wasn’t even close to being up to par.

As soon as we made camp here among the trees, Krigsain began training with me.

Correction, I was getting pummeled one-sidedly.

Still catching my breath, I said “By the way, what is it with the names, huh?”

“Seachar, Sachear, it sounds very similar.” I was curious.

“Seachar means seventh, Sachear means pupil.” Krigsain indicated.

“Sachear Seachar, therefore means something like the pupil of the seven in the ancient tongue. You know the seven precepts and all that lingo.”

“Enough chatter, carry on.” We heard lady Freslia give the word.

Krigsain continued to train me in everything from posture, balance, weapon grip and an instinct based approach to fighting. Each clash felt like a boulder on my body. My wrists, my forearms, my tights, my whole self was feeling the strain.

“Pain will ingrain this into your bones. Getting hit for the sake of getting hit serves no purpose. Getting hit with a proper blow from a master will force you to understand. The memory of the pain is the greatest propeller.” Freslia said watching from the side.

“Here, here lady Claimere.” Interjected Krigsain.

“But aren’t you a Sachear as well? I asked my bulging travel companion.

“Indeed I am, in name only my young pub.” Clarified Krigsain

The pummeling restarted in earnest.

With the corner of my eye I observed Iru practicing what seemed something akin to spells.

“So he’s a prospective Magi.”

Ciel was hunting for some game while Freslia was keeping watch.

“Focus you drudge!”

The angry shout came from my training partner pulling me out of my pondering.

More intense plummeting ensued.

Time passed by and the fourth hour had come.

“Finally I get to eat, I’m spent.” I said firmly looking at the small fire where the game was getting cooked.

“Let me add the spices and do the seasoning, wofer rabbits are kind of my specialty.” I said to Ciel.

The blonde little belle readily agreed. After an hour the food was served and everyone dug in.

“Guys we found our cook!” Ciel said happily after having her first bite.

“This is good! I’ll train you better from now on.” Excitedly said Krigsain as he gave me a thumbs up.

Consequently, my hand dropped with my meat piece as I looked towards Krigsain with worrying eyes. There was a pause in everyone’s actions from the realization.

“I’ll help you with the cooking, I need to practice my blue fire spell.” Iru said looking satisfied.

Everybody had a hearty laugh, even me which was entirely surprising.

I was elated somehow by the fact that I had become somewhat useful.

Our leader was particularly fond of my seasoning. She had no objections this time.

Watching the party gulf down the rabbits made me think of Teng.

“I hope you are doing well my friend.” I said looking at the skies.

In such a way, travelling, training, meditating and my cooking were the occurrences of the next few days.

I can hunt shadow wolves by myself. A one on one is feasible now although it takes quite a toll.

For a four-day training regime, this is tremendous progress.

By the ninth hour training was wrapping up. I could barely feel my limbs.

“A newbie healing package coming right up.” Iru said taking his now customary position.

He had been healing my injuries by transferring core energy inside my body with the help of a couple of mana tears every day.

I heal, he trains. A double arrow of massive gains. We also were able to converse for a while thanks to this. Being weaker has its unexpected gains.

“One more round and I’ll let you off.” Declared Krigsain.

“Come on man, you are not the one getting pummeled.” I pleaded.

“Oh really now?” Krigsain said with a devilish grin.

“Iru hand me your artifact gloves for a little while.”

Not understanding why, Iru did as he was asked and tossed them over.

Putting on the gloves, Krigsain grabbed a pair of small moon shaped blades by the edges.

“Why is he doing that? That’s weird.” Iru and looked at each other.

“Those gloves protect him from getting cuts, standard Magi protection artifact. Hand seals are critical for me.” Iru explained.

We setup in our customary duel fighting stance. Krigsain began with a charge. Then I realized the crazy bulging muscle mass was trying to strike me with the pommels of the blades.

I tried to evade, block and counter within the training circle. There was no avail.

“Pommel, Pommel you!” Krigsain’s voice resounded.

“What? You got mad because of me?” I asked hurriedly.

“Pommel Pommel you, listen to my song!” He exclaimed again.

The small quarrel made Ciel and Iru laugh like a couple of drunkards.

They even began chanting “Pommel pommel you!” In a duet.

Bastards, these people are broken inside somewhere.

Yes, surely bastards.

"AAARGHHH!"

I charged forward out of desperation from the humiliation and incapacity.

Thud!

A flying pommel strike straight to my head finished the ordeal.

“Never question my methods again, don’t even have a hint of ungratefulness. Do not murmur. Murmuring is unbecoming of the Kotari.”

What the hell? This is definitively excessive use of force.

“You can always undo your complaints when you can stand at the same level.” Freslia said appearing from wherever she came back from.

“Might makes right?” I asked massaging my temple.

“The weak can only depend on the strong for restitution. Become strong Ikrei.” She said to me.

“Eye to eye with this monster? Can I? Like ever?”

Somehow I felt like she was quite happy with my predicament.

“Enough of this circus, begin meditating, we depart in three hours.” She declared.

Running through the forest at night is liberating. Thanks to Iru my body is reacting swiftly and precisely. I am still behind these fellows though, too much so.

I need to get stronger. I will get stronger.

“Panthers, wolves and a bear. Half a furlong ahead.” Ciel said.

“Same thing from behind, they are getting closer.” Krigsain added.

“Encirclement. Tsk”

“Krigsain bears, Ciel and Iru panthers, Ikrei take on the wolves one by one. I’ll provide cover and support. “Freslia marked our targets.

My first real battle in this world. This isn’t a hunt; we are the prey just like the bear in the cave. Perhaps this time because it is not just Teng and I, I feel no fear.

Awakened are hunted for their cores just like beasts are. The law of the jungle. Andara is such a place. This is why it has never been cut down or culled, a great, almost perfect training ground for the Malgrunian forces.

My excitement only grew. The fearbeast were coming closer. As we rushed forward, they came into my line of sight. A couple of dozen steps maybe.

I can see a bear in front of me to my right.

“Pommel pommel you!” Krigsain passes me by screaming like thunder charging at the beast like a flash. I only saw a blur.

Two panthers, one two my right and one to my left.

The night lights up a little, two blue spheres of scorching fire to my left. Iru is launching his spell. He says that spells with no chanting are the hardest.

Ciel fires two energy arrows simultaneously at two different targets. I learned that her weapon is an artifact gifted by her grandfather before departing. This kind of shot requires a decade of training from a hunter.

I am reminded that I am accompanied by monsters. Monsters in human form.

I smile.

Two wolves charge, I use a tree as cover to evade the first and plunge straight into the second one. One hit kill. Neck sliced open.

I tumble and lose my sense of direction, the first wolf comes around the tree and charges in a straight line, approaching me in a direct attack. It’s too late to evade and not a hair’s distance for a block.

The wolf drops dead as I see his gnarling teeth. I look up behind me and Freslia smiles at me.

I nod in understanding moving to a nearby wolf. We repeat the process several times.

I kill one shadow wolf and move on to the next. Flashes of light from the arrows and blue fire engulfing the beasts in scorching flames float and swirl around me.

For a moment this choreographed dance of death seems exhilarating to me.

"Beautiful."

“Ikrei, focus!” I hear Freslia’s voice from behind.

A wolf almost got my neck on a desperate lunge while I was distracted.

“Shit!” I exclaimed with stupor.

“No time to think, concentrate and fight. Survive!” Is all that my mind can process.

The roars of the beasts multiply as they charge and die. It’s madness, an uncontrollable desire for more power.

Rage, despair, hope and bloodthirst. All these emotions explode in my latent core.

I charge where the next shadow wolf is, screaming like a madman.

This is the seven precept.