BK1 Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Callan carved a sloppy circle into the dirt to indicate our training ground. His Jian glinted, the steel mirroring the moonlight against his black armour as he stood opposite me.

"Stay outside of the circle, Miss Garpson" Callan lazily swung his Jian in a movement I thought may have been a parry.

"Okay" Teresa sat down some distance outside the circle, the excitement in her eyes obvious, she was eager to see a real fight with swords, but I didn't think there would be much of one.

"Alright, step one, Lynette, is stance" Callan sighed at my attempt to hold the Jian Roger had given me.

"Not like that, jeez" he shook his head and stomped over. "Like this" he grabbed my hands and moved them onto the hilt of the Jian. "Open your legs. You need a solid foundation; otherwise, you lose balance."

I did as he instructed and found it somewhat easier to hold the Jian, the weight lessening so it didn't pull my hands down. I still struggled to hold it upright, though, and Callan could tell from the look he gave me.

"The Jian is all about flexibility. Its speciality is in parring and binding to strike your opponent. When paired with Aether techniques, you can trip an opponent mid-movement. Its double-edge gives you more options than a longsword, but a longsword is far better for overhead attacks. Given your height, I don't think a longsword would suit you anyway."

"Height matters?" I asked, getting a feel for the blade in my hands.

"Yes, if you are tall", he paused ", and strong, a heavy weapon such as a long sabre or halberd would be ideal. But a spear or lighter weapon would be better if you don't have strength. If you are short, a thick sabre or possibly hammers can be good for close range if you have the strength to wield them. However," he scraped his Jian against mine, making it tumble from my hands, "if you are both short and weak like you are, swords are your best choice or daggers."

"So a Jian is a good choice for me?" I asked, bending down to pick it up.

"Who knows" Callan shrugged. "A weapon calls to you or not, the Jian has always called to a Heversham, but that may not be the case for you", he smirked, the insinuating context of not sharing his bloodline obviously. As an adopted daughter, I wouldn't share the same capabilities as the power of the Heversham bloodline.

"A weapon calls to you?" I asked, ignoring his snide remark.

"Yes, like all things, weapons have Aether. It either resonates with yours or not." He rolled his eyes. "How do you not know this."

"Because no one told me" I frowned at him. "Is there any point in learning a weapon before you have resonated with one?" was I wasting my time here?

"Yes," he put his palm on his face, frustrated at me ", you won't resonate with a weapon until you can sense Aether. That won't happen until you grow from gathering Aether. This can take time. It's irresponsible to wait until you resonate to know how to defend yourself in a pinch."

"That makes sense" It would be dangerous to be defenceless for so long when training.

"Right. Now return to the stance I showed you; let's get on with this" Callan moved back a step and held out his Jian straight with his right hand, his left stretched behind him.

I did as he said and returned to the stance I had before he knocked the Jian out of my hand.

"Now, follow my movements", he stated, and I quickly moved to copy him holding my left hand out behind me.

He changed stance, pulling the Jian back and his left hand forward, palm up, I followed, and he then moved the Jian into a turn, his body flowing smoothly. I followed this dance with the sword, moving from one stance to another. My body didn't stretch as Callan's did, my joints didn't straighten half as well, and it was uncomfortable on my muscles as they strained. Some twinged I had never used before, and before long, sweat coated my body as I tried to keep up with him. I was waning fast, but Callan continued non-perturbed as the blade shook in my hand. My wrist was aching, it hurt immensely, and my chest was tightening as I tried to breathe the air I needed.

A clang shattered the dance, my Jian dropping from my hand as I fell to my knees. My body burned, and my vision blurred as I tried to catch my breath.

"That's it?" Callan sheathed his Jian, tutting, "You really are weak, aren't you?"

"She was already exhausted from the march" Teresa ran over and leaned down to me, she held my water skin to my lips, and I willingly gulped down the refreshing liquid.

"I figured," Callan said with no sympathy.

"So why did you push her so much?" Teresa questioned accusingly.

"Because to grow, you need to push your limits. If you don't do that, you aren't worth a damn" Callan stared at her pointedly.

"Lynette, check your blood sign. Let's see if this resulted in anything," he continued as I managed to breathe normally again.

"Alright, sign" I held my hand forward to check my details, and the red box appeared with the list of my skills and progression details.

Apart from one difference, my sign looked pretty much the same as it always had. "I gained a skill in stamina, level one, nothing else."

"That's normal, I guess. You haven't walked anywhere for this long before. Most people gain stamina on the march" Callan rubbed his chin. "A few more days of doing the stances, and you should pick up a skill with the Jian, then you can practice on your own."

"Most commoners already have a stamina skill", Teresa mumbled, a little judgemental of nobles but didn't outwardly insult us, just stating a fact.

"Obviously", Callan answered anyway. "You're commoners", he sighed, bored.

"I'll come to get you again tomorrow, be ready" he didn't wait for us to respond. Then, happy to be done with his task, he quickly left, heading towards his team's camp.

"Come on", Teresa helped me stand. "Let's get some sleep. It's going to be another long day tomorrow."

"Sounds like a good idea" I nodded, and we made our way to our tent.

***

Sleeping on the ground in a thin cocoon of material was an experience. I thanked Vishka for the warm weather in the highland plains, any colder, and I was certain I would have been shivering. We marched all day from the moment dawn struck, my muscles protested with every step, but I forced myself to keep going. It was supporting to know I wasn't the only person struggling as many trainees' paces slowed, and we were barked at more than once to speed up. Short breaks were allowed in the afternoon when the sun was highest in the sky. They were a welcome retreat from the pain enveloping my body. Garret continued to make jabs at Teresa and her commoner origins. I dreaded to think what he may have said if he knew she was an illegitimate noble child.

After setting up our camps in the evening, I would train with Callan, mirroring his movements to try and learn his dance with the Jian. On the third day, when I hadn't gained a skill yet, he was so irritated he allowed Teresa to join, hoping someone would get some value from his time. Unfortunately, she didn't have a Jian to use, but she happily accepted following his movements alongside me even without one.

The constant exhaustion was taking its toll, especially with my lack of sleep and the extra training. My distinct weakness compared to the other trainees was growing wider. Each day, they seemed to grow more accustomed to our situation, their bodies fitter and likely healthier than my own. The landscape barely changed. Only the plants that grew became wilder as we left the carefully maintained fields of farmers. The dirt path we followed became more jagged, less trodden over time. We passed the carcass of a few rat like Demonic beasts sometimes. They were the size of a large dog, their chests torn open and cores removed. They had been killed by the summoners in the front of the brigade, so we had been surprised to see them as we hadn't known there had even been an attack.

We continued in this routine for almost a week before I felt a change. I changed my stance to the fourth movement of the flowing water method. Callan eventually told us this was the basics of the Heversham Jian style; it consisted of seven movements designed to become the foundation for the weapons skills. It wasn't a highly guarded secret, so he wasn't breaking any rules showing Teresa, but the Heversham forefathers designed the next stage, so he wouldn't be showing her that.

As I finally got my arm straight correctly, I felt a tingle in my skin, and the fifth stance was more fluid than it had been before. It still wasn't perfect, but I understood the transition of the stance more than I had. Carefully I followed through the sixth, lowering my body towards a crouch, finding my balance a little easier. Finally, in the seventh movement in an upward motion, I stood moving the Jian as gracefully as I was able, but it still wobbled in my grip.

"Better", Callan commented, sheathing his Jian. "Did you get the skill finally?"

"Let me check, sign" I held my palm forward.

Blood Sign

General Information

Name: Lynette Heversham

Age: Twenty-One

Rank: Daughter of Viscount – Talbour

Traits: Beast born Hidden

Occupation: Trainee of Zopan Empire Army

Covenants: Zopan Empire Army Blood bond: Guidance of Vishka Hidden

Progression

Core Innate Grade: 0.02

Core Condensation Grade: 0.02

Affinities: Unknown

Skills

Aether: 0

Combative: 1

Jian - Flowing Water: 1 - (Novice)

Body : 3

Poison Resistance: 10 - (Initiate)

Pain Resistance: 22 – (Apprentice)

Stamina: 3 - (Novice)

Mind: 3

Research: 12 - (Initiate)

Herbology: 57 - (Adept)

Alchemy: 7 - (Novice)

Spirit: 1

Beast Taming: 1 - (Novice) Hidden

General: 1

Social: -2 - (Novice) Hidden

My smile must have given it away as he exhaled in relief.

"Finally, now I can practice what I want."

"Are we still meeting in the evenings?" I asked as Teresa congratulated me.

"Yes," he said resigned, "but now I can leave you to it whilst I work on my own. We can't move on to the next stage until you get your skill to level ten. It is pointless unless you are barely competent at the basics."

"Oh, but I have only reached level three stamina in a week of marching. So I might not reach level ten before we reach the capital" I frowned. Was that a normal growth rate?

"Tough, it's not my fault you're not talented, sister", Callan gibed. "Even the commoner is better than you."

"That's unfair" Teresa bit her cheek. "I'm used to physical exertion and grew up in Ingalham. I often had to climb trees and used to fight with sticks when I was a kid. I bet you did the same with them; what was his name again? Oh yeah, Eduard, you have a clear advantage, and so do I. I mean, I'm grateful you let me learn too, but come on, be more realistic and don't say she hasn't got talent because maybe Jian isn't even her thing," she spoke so quickly I could see Callan straining to understand.

"It's alright, Teresa", I motioned for her to stand down. She really was fiery. "He's probably right. I'm not going to learn this any faster than the effort I put into it." if I was stronger and could hold the Jian without struggling, maybe I could have advanced quicker. "I will just have to train harder."

"Do what you want. Just don't bother me until you reach level ten from now on" Callan dismissed us and turned his back. He didn't leave this time, though, and instead redrew his Jian and began to practice a technique he hadn't shown us.

Teresa said she would warm up some rice and slumped back toward our tent, but I held back a moment.

"What is it?" Callan asked when he noticed I was still there.

"I just wanted to say thanks" I awkwardly shuffled my feet. This was weird. "I know you didn't want to train me, but you did anyway when you easily could have lied about it" I felt uncomfortable saying this. I had thought about it for the past few days. There wasn't much else to do but think about things whilst marching.

Callan was definitely a hothead. He had been abrasive all of my lives, even killing me in my second. Yet, he was upfront with me, didn't lie to me, didn't lock me away for my behaviour like Eduard, and never hid from me and instead just told me his thoughts openly. Despite being disagreeable towards me, he was honest. There was only one occasion he had ever lied. That occasion spurned me with Eduard and Roger and was definitely a turning point in my life. But he was sixteen when that happened. Cassandra had just died, and I think I understand why he may have lied about her necklace now.

"Where is this coming from?" Callan stopped his practice and turned to face me.

"I just… I know I haven't been easy to deal with in the past" I looked at my feet. "I just wanted to tell you I appreciate it, your help, that is", I gulped as he stared at me in silence.

It was difficult admitting to him I had been an unruly child. Not all of my tantrums were misguided, but many of them were probably overreactions. I definitely said and did things that unnecessarily escalated many situations that could have been avoided. If anything was going to change, I had to do it first.

"Get some sleep Lynette," he said a little quietly.

I nodded. "Alright, ill see you tomorrow."

"Yes", he spoke as I turned to leave, the number above his head blurring.

***

The next few days passed in a blur. I marched, trained, ate, and then slept. Then, on the twelve day of marching, rain fell. Complaints and squelching of mud slowed our pace considerably as we continued forward. Glancing right, I could see Callan's group moving easily as he cast a shield above his team, blocking the water from reaching them. Above his head floated the familiar box I had become accustomed to now.

Vishka's Guidance System

Callan Heversham

Likeability:-16% (+6%)

My gamble had paid off. I had been right to try and take the first step to improving our relationship. The last few days of training hadn't been as intense as they had been before, Callan had trained on his own as he said he would, but he sometimes would stop to point out any of my mistakes and even complimented Teresa on her second movement. He still got frustrated with us when we couldn't perfect a transition, but that was his nature. I knew it wasn't personal.

It didn't hurt me to admit I was jealous of his water magic right this moment, either. My feet, for the most part, were protected by my boots, but my cloak and clothes were thoroughly soaked. Everything stuck to me like glue, and my backpack had absorbed just as much water with the increased weight dragging on my back.

The rain had intensified the march tenfold, and It was difficult to hear Lieutenant Cragborn over the roaring sound. One benefit, at least, was that it was an opportunity to refill our water sacks. Living off the water a summoner could produce was possible, but it didn't quench thirst as well as normal water.

"This is getting heavy", Teresa shouted to me, holding her hands on her head in an attempt to block the rain.

"Yeah, I don't know how much longer I can cope with this", I called back, worried. I had already struggled every day under normal conditions. My thighs were burning, and we hadn't reached midday yet.

"You think they will stop the march?" Teresa replied.

"I don't know. Maybe they are waiting to see if it will lighten."

"Doubtful", Garret grimaced, struggling with us. "This is probably nothing to them. They're trained, remember" he finished forcefully, pulling a foot out of a sloppy mud hole.

"Keep moving" Harold gripped his backpack tightly as it slouched down his back. I saw water dripping from it as the material couldn't hold any more water. "We're dragging behind."

Sure enough, the other teams of four were quite a bit ahead of us. We were at the back of the lines today in our rotation, and we were slacking. The foot soldiers and three groups of summoners bringing up the rear were closer than they had been before.

"Come on. We can do this!" Teresa tried to encourage us, but we were only as capable as our bodies allowed. The ground we walked on had already been walked on by the hundred or so teams in front of us. It was retaining the rain so quickly it had quickly turned into sludge by the time we got there, and our feet stuck to it, making each step harder.

A horn suddenly blasted; its tone differed from usual, and everyone was still moving. Lieutenant Cragborn was shouting something, but I couldn't make it out.

"Can you hear what he's saying?" Garret asked, his pace slowing.

"No, but we haven't stopped like we usually do when a horn sounds," I said, doing my best to keep going.

"Didn't it sound different to you?" Teresa wiped her face but to little avail, as the rain quickly replaced what she had wiped away.

"Behind us!" Harold exclaimed, his pace suddenly picking up.

We all quickly looked back and paled, rushing to match Harold's speed.

The summoners bringing up the rear were engaging with dozens of snake-like demonic beasts.

***

My lungs protested, and my feet, I'm pretty sure, were bleeding, but I didn't care.

I ran.

Teresa, Garret, and Harold were with me as we did our best to reach the rest of our group ahead. They seemed so far away now that I was panicking. Together we rushed as the sounds of battle echoed in the rain behind us. I had grown lax. Days of marching with no dangers had made us grow comfortable and safe. I had forgotten just how dangerous the highland plains were.

I swivelled my head to check on us and froze, causing Teresa and Garret to stop as well.

"What is it!?" Garret vigilantly looked around, shaking.

"Harold, where's Harold" I cried, not thinking about honorifics in my panic.

"Harold?" Garret looked and realized he was missing. "Not my problem", he about-faced, turned and continued to run on ahead towards the safety of our group.

"Coward!" Teresa hollered after him.

"Where did he go!?" I swivelled back, looking for him. A mist had formed behind us whilst we had been running, likely from fire summoners using their magic in the rain.

"Over there!" Teresa pointed to a slumped figure in the mud a little ways back.

"Harold!" I shouted out, my heart hammering in my chest as I ran back to where we had come.

"Lynette, wait!" Teresa called, but I couldn't stop. My body moved on its own as I ran towards him. I knew, logically speaking, I should have got the attention of a trained summoner, anyone who knew what they were doing. I had faced death and lived it. I knew how painful, lonely, and fearful it was.

I couldn't stop if I wanted to.

"Harold!" I called again, sliding into the mud beside his prone body. It was lying forward.

Grabbing his shoulders, I heaved, "sorry, sorry, sorry" I chanted, pushing with all of my might to turn him over. He flipped onto his back with a plop, and I pressed my ear to his chest.

"He's breathing, thank Vishka", I breathed, checking his head next for any injuries. In no way was I a medical expert, but I could spot a head wound when I saw one. Thankfully there was nothing there.

"Did you trip? Come on, Harold, wake up" I slapped his cheek to try and startle him awake, but nothing happened. What happened? We were all running. If he tripped, the mud was soft enough that he shouldn't have been knocked out. What was I missing?

"Lynette!" Teresa's voice grew closer, and I tried to figure it out. That's when I spotted it, the tear in his right trouser leg. Grabbing the material, I pulled the tear aside and to my horror, I saw two large incisions in his skin.

One of the demonic snakes had bitten him.

But when!? None of them were close enough to us for us not to have noticed. Surely... we would have noticed?

"Is he okay?" Teresa arrived panting, leaning her hands on her knees.

"I don't know. He was bitten by one of those things. I think he may be poisoned" I wracked my head about what I could do to help.

"It did!? Does that mean there's one nearby" Teresa quickly pulled out her dagger.

"Not sure, but take this" I unsheathed my Jian and handed it to her.

"What? But you may need this."

"Not right now, I don't. You are better at it than I am, anyway. Keep a lookout. I'm going to do something pretty crazy."

"Like what?" she eyed me, taking the Jian and putting her dagger away.

"Like this," I said, pulling my backpack off my shoulders. I quickly rummaged through it, taking out the Yanko plant I had found on the first day of our march. It wasn't as fresh as it had been. Its form wrinkled as I had not been able to dry it for storage as alchemists do.

I sucked in a breath and bit into the Yanko. Its bitter taste made me want to spit it out immediately, but it needed to be pulped. I chewed, grimacing at its taste, then spat it into my hand.

"Lynette, what's that?" Teresa gripped my shoulder, pulling me back, revealing the bright orange mush in my hands.

"Yanko, it's anti-venom", I shouted as the rain grew heavier.

"Does it work fast?" she said, afraid, her eyes darting around us.

"It will slow down the venom", I smiled nervously, slathering the pulp onto Harold's wound.

"A-alright", Teresa hesitantly acknowledged that we may have to wait.

I got back to work, pressing the pulp into Harold's leg, making sure to cover his wound fully. I had no idea how fast it worked. It wasn't a cure-all. Yanko could draw venom from the bloodstream, but I had never prepared or used it before. Chewing it was not the best way to pulp it.

But what choice did we have?

"I think that's all of it", I breathed, opening my mouth to catch some rainwater to rid the taste of the Yanko.

"Let's hope so", Teresa chalked, looking directly ahead. "We have company", she whispered in fear as I heard a hiss glide through the rain.

I turned to find a large blue snake slithering toward us. Its scales glittered in the rain-absorbing water. Its head was the size of a cat, its singular limb longer than five feet. It stopped a meter in front of us and raised its body onto its coiled tail. Opening its mouth, it revealed two very large, very intimidating fangs. Its forked tongue tasted the air as it trained its two beady yellow-patterned eyes on us.

"Oh, crap"