They chalked Sen's order on the wall where the morning light hit true.
One string each. Don't admire; decide.
Trixie read it aloud like a vow. "One two-tempo per room," she added, tapping the slate.
"And one monk string per fight," Taro said, rolling his shoulders under leather. "Cap Surges at three."
They warmed the day into their bones: Armor Steps on the stair—step on the out-breath, stand tall so the weight falls into the heel; footwork grid until half-shoe slides felt like thought; a breath ladder to six-in/eight-out while her cadence threaded through him like a familiar song.
Recognized Training (home).
Blessed Growth: +2 to all stats.
They touched the buckler rim to the pauldron—small ritual, big meaning—exchanged a small, quick kiss to show their affection and attraction, and went to work.
F1 — Calibration
The first floor's cool breath met them like a handshake. Stone dry, lanes clear. Wolves padded out of shadow with low, workmanlike growls.
"Assignment," Trixie reminded, voice even.
"Assignment," Taro echoed, and let the dungeon come to him.
Two wolves fanned apart. The closer one burst high, all teeth. Taro tilted his head off the line—just a slip, nothing fancy—half-stepped in before his foot admitted it, then ran his one monk string:
Ki Pulse Step—drop under the swipe.
Palm heel—a straight, compact shove into the hinge of the jaw.
Short elbow—turning tight through the neck like closing a door.
The wolf folded as if somebody had kicked its legs out from under a table. He did not admire it. He stepped out clean.
The second lunged low for his legs. Trixie caught it on Roof Guard, steel dish like a little roof, turned the force aside, beat the muzzle with a short buckler knock—Beat—and set a quick Thrust up through the seam under the jaw. Two tempos, neat and done.
A third tried to slink in clever—wrong day. Taro cut it simple and clear: hook to the jaw, body blow tucked up under the ribs, then an uppercut to the sternum to end the argument between fist and beast. It staggered once and forgot about standing.
They left no chases, no speeches—just ears and habit.
Combat Adaptation Registered.
Blessed Growth: +2 to all stats.
F2 — Controlled Pressure
The air turned chemical and wolf-wet. Niya's old chalk marks from previous checks and dives ghosted the walls at knee height.
"Knee-line," Trixie murmured.
Taro let his eyes unfocus. The wrongness showed as a thin angle. He slid his sole past with Rope-Cut Step—dust settled against leather, the warning trip line stayed quiet.
A dire pair came on big and arrogant.
"Cover!" Trixie called.
The first opened high. She lifted Roof, let the bite skate, bumped one brick sideways with a shoulder nudge, then slotted Riposte deep into rib seam—fast in, clean out. The dire faltered, coughed red, and lay down on the idea to fight further.
The second barreled at Taro like a drunk with a point to prove. He gave it math: jab to set the distance, straight right to the nose to blur the world, short hook into the floating ribs to take its wind, then one breath-driven Surge to the jaw to put the period on the sentence. (1/3)
They flowed along the bench lane. Three goblins: two sappers and a bench-rat with a glass smile. The throw started—Counter-Tempo III stole the beat mid-shoulder. Taro's short cross tapped the jaw switch—lights out. Trixie rolled the buckler to bind a knife hand, Beat the forearm, Thrust into the soft underarm where leather never fits right. She kicked the live phial away before it remembered to be clever.
They set a wedge at the mock door, chalked the seam, laid cloth low when a smoke phial coughed. Nobody chased the runner who panicked and sprinted; they watched him go and did their own work.
Combat Adaptation Registered.
Blessed Growth: +2 to all stats.
Riposte II timing ↑
Guard Melt II refinement ↑
F3 — Door Team (Lite)
Root pillars crowded the ceiling. The floor had learned new tricks. A rider patrolled the ring path, paws whispers on wet stone; a timber wolf paced on their flank.
"Chalk. Wedge," Taro said. "One string, one two-tempo."
The javelin flashed. Taro Parry-Caught it with an open palm—just a pat, just enough—then cut his lane with Snap Step II and spent his one string:
Ki Pulse Step under the follow-up, Palm heel at the joint, Short elbow as punctuation.
The rider tried to pick a new plan and failed. Taro didn't wait around to be congratulated. He left.
Another rider committed to a lane. Trixie raised Roof, rolled the dish to bind the weapon arm, then beat the wrist—Beat—and Thrust up through the gap her own shield had forced. She ghosted back behind Taro's shoulder before the body remembered to be heavy.
The timber snapped for Trixie's leg. Taro turned his shoulder so the bite slid across leather instead of finding meat, then gave it a simple three-hit truth: crunching hook to the ribs, short right to the eye socket that made the world ring, and a body shot high under the shoulder to empty the lungs. It listed; he did not spend a second Surge. (1/3 → still 1/3)
A chain net hissed through smoke. Trixie angled the buckler so the links slithered off into the stone; Niya's arrow stapled the thrower's hand to a post like a rude letter returned to sender. They walked the seam cloth back out and breathed until the gray remembered how to be air.
Combat Adaptation Registered.
Blessed Growth: +2 to all stats.
Snap Step II (angles/exit ↑)
Ki Pulse Step I (chain comfort ↑)
Roof Guard I → II (coverage/bind flow ↑)
They extracted like a checklist: wedge, chalk, rope flaked clean, proofs pocketed. No pride, no drama.
Midday & Afternoon
Kelda counted like numbers owed her respect. "Dire pair, wolves, phials, one bench token," she said, flicking totals. "Call it one gold, twenty silver. Try not to spend it arguing with a door." She didn't smile. But her ears twitched with pride. Which is how Kelda says well done.
Niya passed like a shadow and said one word—"Crisp."—which for Niya was a sonnet.
They ate something hot, re-waxed the buckler rim, re-chalked rope lengths, then ran a short re-test loop.
F1 gave up two wolves to jab-cross-hook and a modest moulinet recovery after Trixie's thrust. F2 put one more dire in their path; Taro took it with no Surge, just hook-hook-uppercut into the ribs and chin; Trixie tried a Shield-Shoulder bump to steal a step and threaded a neat finish.
They stopped on purpose. Save Ki for tomorrow. Leave proud to other people.
At home, the training bag swayed once in the window draft and decided to be still. They did the small, unromantic things that make good days repeat: oil on straps; wrap liners drying by warm stone; a quiet foot rub for her, a slow hand-and-forearm session for him. One kiss at the window. Lights down. As they cuddled close, her tail around his waist, hugging him close. His arm around her shoulders, ready to hold her close when bad dreams invaded.
Tomorrow would ask for breath and doors. They planned to bring both.
Status — Taro
Class: Monk I (D-rank)
HP: 900 base (10× END 90) → 1400 effective (END 140 in combat/training)
Ki: 89
Base Stats (start → end):
STR: 92 → 100 (+8)
END: 88 → 96 (+8)
AGI: 88 → 96 (+8)
SPIRIT: 69 → 77 (+8)
MIND: 66 → 74 (+8)
LUCK: 65 → 73 (+8)
Ki: 81 → 89 (+8)(+2 all from dawn drills; +2 all from F1–F3 assignment loop)
Effective Physicals (SSS +50 active): STR 146 | END 140 | AGI 142
Techniques (updates):
Snap Step II (angles/exit ↑)
Ki Pulse Step I (chain comfort ↑)
Parry-Catch I (cleaner redirection)
Guard Melt II (refinement ↑; third-tap stagger window truer)
Ki Guard (timing ↑)
Weave Engine II • Counter-Tempo III • Load-Bearing Breath II • Rooted Frame (Novice) • Rope-Cut Step (Novice) • Formation Breach (Novice)
Monk String (assignment kept):Pulse → Palm → Elbow (≤1× per fight)
Status — Trixie
Plate: D-rank
Base Stats (start → end):
STR: 80 → 84 (+4)
END: 84 → 88 (+4)
AGI: 78 → 82 (+4)
SPIRIT: 62 → 64 (+2)
MIND: 56 → 58 (+2)
LUCK: 54 → 56 (+2)
Skills (updates):
Roof Guard II (coverage & bind roll smoother)
Riposte II (faster window under pressure)
Shield-Shoulder I (placement ↑)
Two-Tempo (Beat→Thrust) — assignment kept (≤1× per room)
Porter Brace I • Moulinet recovery (new flow)
Team Passives: Call-and-Breath II (stable), Cover Call I, Heartbeat Sync I
Loot & Ledger
Wolves ×6 → 18s
Dires ×2 → 24s
Ears/Fangs (mixed) → 12s
Phials ×5 → 20s
Alchemist token ×1 → 40s
Timber bonus ×1 → 12sTurn-in total:1g 20s
Consumables: chalk (1), seam cloth (1), paraffin touch-up (—3s)
Purse: prior ~7g 97s → ~9g 14s (after +1g 20s −3s)
Notes for Tomorrow
Door team muster (F3 deepening).
Keep assignment rules.
Practice: Taro—shoulder-roll → counter ladder; Trixie—bind-then-cut-over without stepping.