(The Essences of Survival)
Briefly after breakfast was finished,Grayson was taken outside to train,a new arm had been made from armored wood,not exactly permanent,but sturdy. Supported and controlled by his "redstone" impulse..Whatever that was.
"First thing's first. If you plan to fight without the assistance of an enchantment,you need to follow the vital rules of life in war. First Rule,NEVER give your enemy the winning hand. An ace,a weapon,a soul,anything can and WILL be used against your ability to fight." Serene explains.
"The second rule. You are only as predicable as the move you make to advance. Its almost like chess. Watch your opponent,and the piece they use."
"Lastly,There is no such thing as a fair fight. Dirty moves are what make the world go round. Mud to the face,laser in the eye,a jab to the diaphragm,ALL acceptable moves in the face of a truly dangerous opponent. Spare no mercy,save for your honor. Once your foe is down,or turning tail,they're done. You've made your point,and unless they want to die,they will heed that point."
As Grayson was given his sword,by Kupa,Serene hums. "This is YOUR sword. There are many like it,but this is yours. It represents the power and strength you need to survive,and with it you will exert power that has not been displayed in 20 years. You are no longer a refugee. You are a warrior. A strong one. You do not flee unless your danger far exceeds what you're capable of. You do not die,until there is nothing left of you TO fight. You will crave the blood of the warriors that have so wrongfully taken the lives of your species. Is that clear?" Serene asked.
"Yes Ma'am."
"You will train,until you can defeat a seasoned Villager like myself. Only when you are able to strike me will you be able to fight even the most basic of End Soldiers. Now. Attack me." Serene said.
Grayson immediately charged her,and Serene ducks under a sorrowfully missed swing of the sword,causing him to stumble. This was followed with a swift kick to the rump,causing him to fall on his face and skidding to a stop.
"Momentum is about as much of a friend as it is an enemy. Balance is what will allow you to succeed." Serene said immediately after.
"Ughh..." Grayson sighs,wiping mud off of his face and clothes.
He throws a chunk of mud at Serene,at which she ducks under yet again,to almost meet Grayson's fist,though as soon as the punch was missed,the male was essentially flipped off of his feet,and thrown onto his back.
"Again!"
It went on for hours,until Grayson was covered head to toe in mud,dirt and leaves. "Go wash off,we will continue training once I can see your face." Serene said,flicking off pieces of dried mud that got onto her robe.
Grayson heads to a nearby creek,setting his sword on the sandy shore and wading in. He started rubbing off the mud that clung tightly to his skin and clothing,some of it casting to the water,other stubborn bits picked off and thrown to the side.
Serene was patiently waiting for her newfound prey in a tree,waiting for the right time to pounce upon the unsuspecting trainee..
As Grayson climbs out of the water,he forgot a critical detail as he got the water out of his eyes,his sword.
'Dinnertime...~' Serene purrs gently as he passes under the branch. She leaps down onto the male with all of her weight,landing on top of him and pinning him down.
"You forgot somethiiing.~" Serene chuckles as she gets off of Grayson's back.
He groans softly...
'Ugh...Muddy again...'
As he turns over one of the guards jump to people's elbow him-
"MOTHERFUCK--"
The same pattern had repeated so many times in a day,Grayson had almost been stained brown with all the mud that had been mashed into his skin from the swamp. Kupa had to help him scrub out the muddy stains and start anew.
"So,Any improvements today..?" Kupa asked,scrubbing
Grayson's back gently. "A few new bruises,what felt like a broken rib,skin stains and the knowledge of receiving a people's elbow." He listed off the bat. "Oh,a Seasoned Villager is actually pretty terrifying." He adds.
Kupa hums,"That's Serene for ya..As hard as the stone,and as rough as the Nether. Don't be disheartened by it. You'll learn soon,I know it. You basically cheated death. That in and of itself is an achievement..Keep it up."
Briefly after the bath,Grayson went to bed,to start anew and allow the information to process.
The next morning,there was no lecture,just dead silence in the household. Breakfast was made,Alex and Kupa were in bed asleep,and Serene was nowhere to be seen.
Something to be dreaded...
Warily Grayson ate,until he heard a gentle creak..
Something was wrong.
Out of the blue a knife was thrown,narrowly missing Grayson's hand as it reached for the cake. "The cake is for Warriors. You want it? Fight me." Serene said firmly,coming into the light. "I'll even challenge that brain. Fight me without damaging the house,and ill let you have all of the cake." she adds.
Challenge accepted.
At first it was a brief cat and mouse chase between the two,and Grayson had narrowly knocked a few things over in the process until he cornered her in the least breakable room possible,the kitchen. "Good job,you have me cornered. Finish the fight." Serene almost encouraged.
Unlike last time,Grayson attempts to cover ground,leaving his sword put away to gun for a fist fight. After two missed punches,Serene used the opening to punch Grayson in the gut and get him away.
Grayson grunts softly.
"You get one piece of cake."
"Two..." Grayson growls
"Half of one piece. Final offer."
Grayson growls..
"Fine.."
"And that is the art of war bartering. You're learning alright." Sarah chuckles..
And thus,yesterday's pattern repeats out in the swamp.
And in the bath...
Followed by the breakfast wars yet again...
Until on day 3,as if he had realized this waking dream of training,He woke up like normal,walked over to the breakfast table,and taking only one piece of food from the table.
He checks out with a guard,and heads to ensure everything was alright (and packed) before leaving.
Sword sheathed,Kupa sound asleep in her room,he heads off to his assigned spot to train,and began to practice his combat form in slow and meditative movements..
Serene dangled overhead patiently. It was the same thing over and over for the last 2 days,and she had the pattern down to a point. Her target moves into position...
Serene drops down,narrowly falling on him to be swept up and gently be put down. She attempts to attack,but every step of the way was dodged with some precision,even blocks,but not once did he throw his hands until her opening was clear. He almost hits her,but stops short,"That all I needed?" Grayson asked,a spark in his eyes.
"Well,we know you CAN fight. We'll get there,but with a few pointers you're already quite good. But we need you to be unpredictable in every way possible."
(Archery)
"Your eyes are as sharp as your mind is vast. Together they are powerful tools that allow you to pin a fly to the wall by its wings at several chunks. Your arrows are fast and sharp,but your tactics must be sharper and more cunning."
Grayson draws his arrow,Serene adjusting his form. "Do not hesitate to let go. Hesitation is a weakness. A bad one. You cannot hesitate. Not even in the face of a loved one. Your breath must be even,unrelenting."
Grayson breathes evenly..
"Now...Release."
Grayson lets go of the arrow,and it misses by a narrow margin. Serene pats his shoulder. "You cant forget your form. It is of the essence for your target to be hit. Try again." Serene assures.
He draws an arrow..And releases it,hitting the target with proper precision. The new arm definitely helped..
(Instinct)
"Your body is always in tune with your mind. Be it deaf,blind,senseless,scentless,tasteless or all of the above. Now,during this training I will deprive you of one of the 4 physical space senses. You must let your body act,without any thought or insight into why you did it. Trust your body,and it will trust you." Serene said.
As she did,she cast a spell to make Grayson go blind temporarily.
"You must trust your very being with your safety,for your mind and body are now no longer the same creature. Your mind is now your body's rider,and your body your mind's mount. Catch,or avoid the stone."
A small pebble was thrown,and Grayson sidesteps the pebble with remarkable speed. "Good....Very good..As you progress the projectiles will get deadlier,and faster. I am putting you at a risk the Gods would have me executed for attempting." Serene said as she tosses a stone from hand to hand.
As the items were thrown,something felt off. He had lost his sense of touch,his ears registering everything...
"WAIT!!"
His senses restored,to find he had closed the distance with terrifying speed,having pinned her to a tree. "....Lets not do that again..." Serene said with a slight shiver.
"I think you're ready enough..just be ready to move at some point." Serene said,worry lacing her tone.
"But it's only been a week.." Grayson said gently..
"You'll survive. I promise. I pretty much just handed you the 30 second booklet for war. Trust my,you'll get it one day."
A rumble emits,followed by a draconian being flying overhead and off into the distance...
"We need to go. NOW!!" Serene said as she leads him back to the house. "WHERE are Kupa and Alex?!" Grayson yelps as the door closed. "They're ahead of us. They'll probably be coming back soon. Stay here,I will send for one of the guards." Serene said as she rushed off..
It was suddenly very quiet..
A thump emits upstairs..
Grayson carefully draws his sword and walks up the steps...To Kupa's room. He quietly peeks his head in...