Chapter 3 – Orientation (2)

“Practical Combat and Strategy, as a class, will focus on exactly that – combat. You won’t learn about military logistics, finances, crystal refining, or any such subjects. You will hone your combat abilities, learn how to utilise refined crystals, and how to strategise before a battle to maximise your chances of winning.” Instructor Soraya explained as they walked alongside her.

The halls of the castle-now-turned-military-academy weren’t decorated much at all. They were bare, yet clean. There was no clutter anywhere, nothing to block even a small part of the hallway. The only things that seemed to have been added once the castle was reclaimed were the crystal lamps. They illuminated the hallways of the castle with a bright, steady light, requiring no fuel to do so.

The Instructor led them down a set of long, winding stairs which ended at a small, metal reinforced wooden door. A loud creak echoed as she opened the door, revealing a large courtyard. The courtyard was the lowest point in the crater, situated below the castle’s ground floor. It was bordering the lake Midhir had seen from the top of the crater, as well as the forest that covered the remainder of the mountainous area.

The courtyard was old and ill-maintained. The ground was mostly covered in dirt, the stone slabs it was once paved with were far apart, and not a single one of them was intact. Broken, cracked or outright shattered, they were remnants of an old age long forsaken.

The same could be said for the walkway that once surrounded the courtyard. The section of it bordering the lake had fallen down into the water, with the roof sticking out of the lake’s surface. The remaining sides were also in quite terrible shape – the roof had collapsed onto the walkway in some places, while in others the pillars supporting it were destroyed. It seemed as if even a weak quake would be enough to bring the whole thing down.

Instructor Soraya walked to the centre of the courtyard, then turned to face them. “Why are you here?” She bluntly asked. Her gaze lingered on each and every one of them.

“What do you mean?” Willow asked after a few moments of silence. She seemed more confused than the others.

“I mean exactly what I asked – why are you here?”

Midhir felt his hands itch. “To learn.” He replied without thinking. “To find new challenges and overcome them.” To continue the age old tradition of his family, but of course he couldn’t say that.

Instructor Soraya’s lips curled up. “Liar.” She said with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. “You want to fight. It’s all over your face – you want to cross swords with someone.”

Midhir’s heart skipped a beat. How did she know? He shrugged. “That too,” he admitted. “But I wasn’t lying – I do want to learn.”

Instructor Soraya’s smile widened. “Very well, have it your way.” She then turned her gaze to Arwen. “Well, what about you?”

The somewhat shy girl hesitated for a few moments. “I was told Solus Military Academy was the best in Eldoria.” Her voice rang like a bell. “I seek knowledge and experience.” She raised her gaze from the ground. Her bright blonde hair glimmered under the bright sunlight, surrounding her in an almost otherworldly light.

“I see. Your wish will come true.” The Instructor folded her arms. “You will need to seek out both of those and learn to apply them if you want to make it through this school year.” After letting her ominous words sink in, she turned to Willow. “Well?”

Willow shrugged. “I want to learn to fight.” She bluntly replied. “Like my father.”

“If you wish to fight like the Lustrous Blademaster, you’d be better off learning directly from him.” Instructor Soraya raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid there are very few people as powerful as him in Eldoria, and certainly none are here – perhaps aside from the headmistress, but I assure you, she won’t be teaching any classes.” Her gaze turned to the fourth student in the courtyard. “What about you, young lord?”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

The Orlein household’s eldest son pondered for a few breaths’ worth of time before he finally replied. “I’m here to learn. You can consider my goals to be the same as Midhir, I suppose.” He pursed his lips. “I must learn and grow, as must we all.”

Hearing the darker tone in his voice, Midhir’s excitement mellowed. He was right – they needed to learn and grow. Considering the tense political landscape, as the eldest son of the Orlein house, one of the most prestigious and powerful noble families in the Empire, Alistair was quite possibly under a lot of pressure.

“You must.” Instructor Soraya agreed. “Now then, why don’t we begin with our first class? Which one of you have weapons?”

Alistair stretched his arm forward, his palm looking down. A jewel hidden under the sleeve of his uniform glinted under the sunlight for a split second, then the air under his palm seemed to shift, and change. Then, with a flash of light appeared a spear under his palm, which he promptly caught mid-air. He spun it around his wrist once, then hit the ground with its haft.

Midhir unsheathed his own weapon from the sheath hanging from his hip. It was a simple, undecorated shortsword with dull cotton wrapped hilt. Its handguard was small, mostly there to prevent his hand from slipping over the blade.

“You don’t use crystal tools?” Alistair asked with a hint of confusion in his voice.

The young noble’s surprise was amusing. Midhir’s lips curled up with a faint smile for a split second before he replied with a shrug. “I do, but not for my weapon.” It was too risky to not keep his weapon on his person. Crystal tools could malfunction or be sabotaged after all.

“Smart.” Instructor Soraya said with a smirk. “Well then, what about you two?” She turned to look at the girls.

Arwen shook her head without hesitation. “I don’t know how to fight, but I want to learn. Can you teach me how to use a crystal staff?”

Several surprised gazes turned to her causing her to blush with embarrassment. “Is there something I don’t know about them?” She sheepishly asked. “Are they as a weapon looked down upon?” Her voice grew slightly sharper as she clenched her braided hair.

The urge to answer her overcame him. He didn’t want her to feel like an outsider, as if she had just unknowingly said something offensive. “No, they’re incredibly powerful weapons.” He blurted out without thinking, repeating the words of his older sister. “But there isn’t anyone in Eldoria who has mastered them – no one qualified to properly and safely teach how to use them.” He then fell silent, confused by the sudden urge to help her.

Arwen’s shoulders dropped. “Oh…” Her voice dwindled, and so did her enthusiasm. She looked down in disappointment. “I see…” she whispered, clearly trying to overcome whatever mix of feelings she was experiencing.

“Do you want to learn another weapon?” Willow piped up with a bright smile as always. “Rapiers are amazing, they’re versatile and great for someone of your build!”

Arwen sheepishly shook her head. “I’d like some time to think, if that’s alright.” She glanced at Instructor Soraya, who shrugged. “Why wouldn’t it be? Your weapon is an extension of yourself – you ought to follow your heart with these kinds of things. Sleep on it, try different things, decide whenever you’d like.” She hardly seemed to care, though her advice was absolutely true.

“And I assume you use a rapier?” Instructor Soraya turned her gaze to Willow.

The Lustrous Blademaster’s daughter suddenly lost her bright, cheerful smile. “I’m learning to.” She glanced away. “I’m nowhere near as good as my father.”

“Your father uses a longsword.” Alistair said with a deadpan voice. “They are hardly comparable weapons.”

He wasn’t wrong, though his words did seem to anger Willow. “I was talking about our skill levels.” She declared with a huff.

“Well, naturally.” Alistair nodded intensely. “The Lustrous Blademaster is one of the most powerful and experienced people in Eldoria, perhaps even in the world. If would be quite unusual if you were able to compare to him.”

Instructor Soraya cleared her throat. “While Alistair isn’t wrong, now is really not the time for these discussions. Why don’t we return to the matter at hand?” She waited for a moment to make sure they were all listening. “Willow, I assume you don’t have enough experience to spar?”

“I do!” She protested. “But I’m rather exhausted from travelling, and I did hurt my arm on the airship…” Her voice trailed off as she rubbed her right elbow.

The instructor raised a single eyebrow, then shrugged, and turned her attention to Midhir and Alistair. “Well then, that leaves the two of you – take your positions.”