Drummen looked up at the setting sun and cursed under his breath. "Stupid muck… Stupid Daikish… They can both rot in the darkness of the Creator's ass."
As he cursed, he slipped landing heavily into a pile of muck.
"Arrrrgh!"
"Stupid animals, and their shit… Can't you all do what humans can do!" He looked up at the other apprentices in the animal pen and glared at them, watching them take several steps away from him.
"You better walk away. I'll flatten you in the training grounds!" He looked down at his messy clothes and smelt himself before dry retching.
He looked at a tan horse watching him. "I don't think the ladies will like me tonight if I smell like this. I'm positive they'll die before I even open my mouth."
The horse just stared at him. He turned as he heard movement coming from the rear of the pens. "Then shower stupid…"
"Whose there?"
He waited a moment and scratched his head.
"Hahaha. Stupid"
Drummen felt his blood boil and his anger grow. "Look, I'm not in the mood for games. If you're too scared to say it to my face, then I'll be in the training grounds… I'll be waiting for you weakling!"
He threw the pitchfork towards the direction of the voice and it landed with a heavy thud.
"AAAAAARRRGGHH! Take that you bag of shit!"
He looked down at his clothes and cursed again. "I need to go to the baths before heading to the training grounds." He walked out of the pens to the nearby pools. He looked around him as others in the pools steered clear of him. He smiled removing his clothes and handing them to the apprentice who was on duty at the baths. "Thanks…" His smile turned into a toothy grin as the apprentice walked away with his dirty clothes at arms reach.
He jumped into one of the spare bathing pools cleaning himself. "Finally, I get a moment's peace…"
"Ding… Ding… Ding…"
"Great as soon as I get a moment to rest. I must rush… She's so going to put me in one of her training devices now. I can feel it."
He scowled and stood up climbing out of the bath and got dressed while scaring other apprentices away with his cursing and his face showing his dark mood.
Running to the training grounds while still wet Drummen continued to curse under his breath. "I better make money… This better be worth it."
He turned a corner and bit his tongue from cursing aloud. He saw the other student priests and apprentices standing in formation waiting. He bowed at the senior instructor staring at him and quickly made his way through the ranks of the other students glaring back at those who showed a smirk in his direction.
"At least I got here before the devil woman did." He grabbed his staff that was in the stand waiting for him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Empty mind… Listen to the beating heart… Feel the earth beneath my feet… It's strength reaching into my staff and arms." He opened his eyes.
���Focus on breathing, focus on feeling the heart of the earth, feel the heart of the earth fill the staff and move the air." He took another deep breath.
He watched the senior instructor and waited. They took a step forward.
"Begin... Iron mountain!"
He lowered himself into a sitting position with his back straight and held the end of the staff level with his stretched-out arm. He took a deep breath. "Focus…" He grunted as his muscles bulged around his wrist stopping the staff from shaking.
He watched the senior instructor walk over to him with a slight grin. "Drummen… Drummen… Let's see if you have been enjoying your days with the animals and doing the training that Lord Daikish requested of you."
He watched with annoyance in his eyes as the senior instructor placed their hand on the other end of his staff and started to apply pressure trying to push it down. Drummen clenched his jaw and pulled all his strength into holding the staff level. "Stupid instructor." He growled under his breath and stared at the grinning instructor.
The senior instructor's face was starting to turn red, causing Drummen to smile slightly. "Good iron mountain stance. Let's increase the challenge." Drummen felt his heart sink, watching as the senior instructor jumped onto the opposite end of his staff.
"How long can your iron mountain hold now?"The senior instructor stared at Drummen with a taunting smile.
Drummen stared back at the senior instructor baring his teeth and once again pulled all his strength into his wrist keeping the staff level. Sweat started to form on his brow.
"Standing!"
"I never thought I would be happy to hear her voice…" He smiled at the senior instructor as they jumped off his staff and made their way to the front of the apprentices.
Drummen took a deep breath and stood at attention holding his staff. He looked to the front with a look of worry. "The Supreme and that strange armored person is standing with Daikish. What does that mean?"
His heart dropped when he heard their laughter, and his body suddenly felt cold as Daikish looked over him. "I'm already in trouble for being late, what will she do to me now?"
He watched as the Supreme walked forward with his hands behind his back. "He is very strong. I feel like I would lose just being in his presence. His aura is very strong."
"Nice form, students, it seems my former guard Lord Daikish has taught you well." The Supremes' voice was clear and full of hope and Drummen felt excited and passionate when he heard it. He looked at the other students. "Just a few words and he has energized us all. That is definitely the power of a royal." He mumbled to himself, his eyes focused on the Supreme.
"When it came to defense and the staff, no one was able to best our Lord Daikish here. But as I told her many times a good defense is the perfect offence." The Supreme smiled. "I know training forms are boring, so let's do something fun… Duels!"
"YEEAHHHH!" The students and apprentices yelled, Drummen looked at himself. "Even I'm excited to duel. This was worth it, still hope for some coin."
The Supreme stood in his spot as the students and apprentices got into formation forming the dueling square. Drummen felt the stare of Daikish. "I have a feeling I'm not going to enjoy what happens next."
He watched as Daikish slowly walked towards the Supreme and stood behind him. "Drummen, you're first."
He felt her voice grating against his ears and looked at her smirk. He stepped forward and stood in the dueling square in silence facing the Supreme and Daikish.
He heard Daikish call out again."Unit four corners and its king."He watched as five students made their way to the dueling square standing near Drummen. One of the students spoke from the corner of his mouth in Drummen's direction.
"After we're finished, you'll never be able to walk in the dome again and end up living your life in the animal pens, that is if they can recover what is left of your body."
Drummen smiled and whispered back. "Just because I met your sister and made her squeal like a pig, doesn't mean you have the ability to pull me apart let alone send me to the pens. However, I don't have a problem meeting her again."
He turned his head with a grin. "She told me that she has been practicing."
He watched in the corner of his eye as the one who opened their mouth turned red in rage and smirked to himself. He saw Daikish shake her head and sigh.
"Apprentice Drummen no showing off, and you may only use Earth under the Sea form." He nodded and bowed."Yes, Lord Daikish, I obey."
He looked into her eyes and felt his body shiver in fear. He glanced down as he saw the Supreme turned and looked at Daikish.
"Still the same Daikish I remember, I wonder do you still use that equipment you had back then?" He saw Daikish's face turn red when he heard the Supreme ask her that question. "What is he talking about?" He glanced at Daikish again. His body felt heavy from the gaze from her, and took a step back keeping his head down.
"Hahahaha… Lord Daikish you're exactly the same." The Supremes' laughter cut through the pressure letting Drummen recover. "So fierce… She really is a demon in disguise."
He bowed to the Supreme and Lord Daikish with the others. He stood and watched as the five moved into position around him. The Supreme raised his hand to start the duel…
"Supreme… I apologize for interrupting you before the duel begins, may I ask my fellow students to make a small bet with me?"
"Hahahahahaha!" He stood watching the Supreme laugh with his hands on his hips. Drummen looked confused.
"Your apprentice is exactly like you Lord Daikish." He turned and looked at Drummen. "Apprentice… You may, but know I don't always like to be interrupted."
Drummen bowed. "My apologies..." He could feel Daikish's eyes staring at him. "I better make this worth it, or death will follow." He turned and looked at the other five student apprentices staring at him with wide eyes and anger all over their faces. Drummen smiled.
"Let's make a bet… If you win, then you can beat me to the floor, and I'll do your chores for the month." He looked on as they nodded and smiled with a glint in his eye. He ran his fingers along his staff. "But if I win. I want the coins in all your pockets plus you do my chores for a month."
"To beat you into the floor without you fighting back if we win the duel?" Drummen nodded. "Yes, but only if you win."
He smiled at the student apprentice that he was riling up about his sister. "Think of it this way. If you win, you can get revenge for all the times I was with your sister…"
He let his last words sink into the mind of the student apprentice.
"Bet is on. You're going to be ruined when I'm done with you."
Drummen smiled and turned to the Supreme and Daikish. "Apologies again my Supreme and Lord. I stand ready and obey." He smiled as the Supreme winked at him and raised his arm. "Finally, let's begin the duel."
Drummen and the apprentices bowed towards each other. The five students circling around Drummen as he cracked his neck and slightly bent his staff with his hands. "Now, this is worth it."
Drummen lowered his body, spread his legs out resting on one knee and the other leg out flat as a balance. He then lifted the staff and placed his hands at the quarter mark and the butt of the staff holding it like a long sword and took a deep breath.
He stared at his opponents in silence no longer laughing or smiling. "Now it's the time to be serious. To be one with the staff, and one with the earth. I want those coins. Instead of waiting for them, I shall go to them…"
He blinked and ran towards the closest of the five fainting with a swing of the staff. He jumped and aimed a kick to their face, which was easily blocked with their staff."You have to do better than that to beat me…" His opponent grinned, then looked at their staff as it was bending with Drummen's weight on it. They pushed back against Drummen's weight. "Get off my staff…"
Drummen smiled.He used the push from the opponent and jumped into the air above them. Drummen flipped in the air extending his leg and landing heavily the opponents head causing them to instantly fall unconscious.
Drummen stood over the unconscious apprentice he smiled while stretching his staff over his shoulders. He then slammed the butt of the staff into the training ground. He looked at the apprentices around him opened their mouths in surprise as cracks, dust and dirt floated around him.
They looked at each other. "The staff went into the ground…" Drummen smiled. "That's nothing… Watch this…" He picked up the unconscious apprentice's staff and spun it around in his hands. He then bent the staff and broke it in the middle as his muscles bulged in his arms.
Looking at his opponents casually. "Earth under the Sea needs two short staffs." He lifted the two small staffs going into formation with one staff along his spine while the other staff was at his hip. He took a step forward and as his foot landed thick killing intent came out of his body aimed at the apprentices.
Drummen looked at their slightly pale faces and smiled. "I'm ready now, so let's begin."
He stood in silence watching at apprentices. "What form is that?""Lord Daikish has been teaching him more than just the standard forms. We need to beat him and take his place." Drummen watched the apprentices nod in agreement then he shook his head.
"Hahahaha. That is so funny. Do you want to learn from that monster? To be honest you wouldn't be able to survive her level one device."
"Hahahaha. Lord Daikish so you still use those toys for training…" They all looked at the Supreme who was smiling at Daikish.
"Hey apprentices, those toys as we call them are very impressive. If you don't have the correct body type, they'll kill you." Drummen looked at Daikish with a sense of wonder. "All that pain before I met those toys makes sense now…" Drummen bowed towards the Supreme. "I never knew that before, I thought Lord Daikish just liked seeing people in pain with broken arms and legs…"
Drummen glanced at the other apprentices seeing their faces turn white as he mentioned about the broken arms and legs. He then looked at the Supreme who seemed to have followed his eyes. He watched in silence as the Supreme leaned towards Daikish and spoke to her quietly. He saw Daikish's face nod with her cheeks turning rosy.
Drummen followed the movements of the Supreme as he looked back at Drummen. "It seems you understand about controlling the battle with the mind as well. Lord Daikish has taught you well…" The Supreme scratched his beard and eyed Daikish. "I wonder if she has taught you her special skill of drinking and fighting? Also, I wonder if you also have tastes like our Lord Daikish here with fine ale and company of others to keep warm during the night. If so, then when you've grown up with some more hair on the face and pass your trials, we can have a nice chat about joining the defense just like our former general here."
Drummen's mouth fell open and glanced at Daikish. "Drinking, company at night, who is she?"
"Hahaha, Lord Daikish, your apprentice it seems he's just like you. It seems you really have found your successor." Drummen kept his head down as he felt a strong killing intent coming from Daikish.
"If I look up, I'm dead… Better if I can't see."
Drummen stood up smiling mischievously. He pulled a thin piece of cloth letting it dangle in front of the other apprentices. "I'm sure you remember this cloth from your sister. She gave it to me so I wouldn't forget her." He saw the apprentice's face turn red with anger.
"Drummen you are dead..."
He smiled."I'll tie this around my head so I can't see, so that will make things fair for you." He tied it around his head and looked up. "Now I'm blindfolded and can't even see you approach me, now come at me. Just so you know the smell of this cloth is amazing, it smells just like her."
He ignored the chuckles and laughter around him and took a deep breath letting the world fade around him. "One with the earth." He took a step forward releasing his killing intent and smiled.
"There you are…"
He ducked and rolled as staffs attacked his previous position. He rolled and attacked an opponent's foot, legs jumping up with the butt of the staff slamming into the opponent's jaw causing them to fall unconscious onto the ground.
"Surprising how easy raging earth can flow into rushing earth geyser perfectly."
He raised the short staffs over his head blocking a head strike. "Strong attack… Forcing me to my knees… Pity its game over for you." He smiled as he went onto his knee blocking the continued attacks. He locked their staffs with one staff and the other short staff he started attacking in a circle around him. "Your knees are going to hurt after this…"
He jumped and spun taking the opponent's staffs with him while attacking their wrists with the spin using the opponent's staffs to attack their heads. He landed on the ground breathing heavily with the opponent's staffs on the ground around him, and the opponents no longer standing. He took off the blindfold. "I win…"
He bowed to the Supreme and Daikish then slowly walked to his staff still stuck in the ground and pulled it out using it to help him walk out of the dueling square. He looked up at all the students staring at him with wide eyes and open mouths.