Arriving at Ember's training ground, it was in an enclosed area within the Royals section. Off to the side was a large square arena. The ground was tiled with a reddish-brown material and off to the side were a couple of training dummies made of the same material.
"Welcome to my personal paradise. Aside from eating at Essense of the Four Seasons, I would be here all the time. This arena and these training dolls are made of a special material that is highly resistant to damage and heat. There is also a sleeping area, a bathhouse, and other such necessities.
I thought this would be a perfect spot to train and forge our weapon spirits. No one is allowed inside here without express permission unless it's Grandpa Flint."
"It looks like a really nice place." Walking over to a weapon rack, Noxtis grabbed two of the practice swords and threw one to Ember.
"So what's this new move you have in mind? Should I wear my armor?"
"You remember when I said about learning a skill to take on single enemies?"
"Back in the shadow spider cave? Yeah, so what did you come up with?"
"Mhmm, instead of applying my dragon's breath to a sword slash, I thought of focusing the flames on the tip of my sword and then thrusting. The only issue that I've been having is the flames do not like being concentrated in one spot. It takes a lot for me to focus my bloodline flames and because of that the technique is pretty slow and disperses really quickly.
I'm thinking about calling it Searing Point."
"Oh that's right, you never did tell me how your dragon's breath works."
Scrunching her brows, Ember frowned. "Really? I thought I had told you before. Well while it's called Dragon's Breath, those of the red dragon bloodline actually don't breathe fire in the traditional sense. Savage beasts with the dragon bloodline have a special gland that produces a combustible substance that is ignited, usually from their maw.
There are a good number of tribes that utilize fire in some form or another, but most agree that the fire anima produced by the Crimson Scale Tribe is one of the most fierce. Some have even coined it as dragonfire anima. However, most tribesmen are not able to use the dragonfire anima for very long or cover a wide area. The ones that can are my Grandfather, the Elders, and a few core disciples.
For example, I can channel fire through my arms and hands and apply it onto blades that are specially forged to handle high temperatures, and then use my sword skills to unleash the flames."
Rubbing his chin and thinking, Noxtis pondered. "So that's why you're having trouble then? It takes too long for you to apply the flames to the tip of your sword and keep them there for an attack. And would consume more energy and concentration as well."
"Mhmm, other anima types like water and ice are easier to hold in one location but are generally weaker in power and while earth anima is also quite difficult to mold, it is more focused on defense. While I can perform the move on these training dummies, it is a much more difficult task on a moving enemy. Even against more than one target, it can take away my focus enough where if I were to face multiple enemies my defense would suffer."
Nodding, Noxtis got into a ready stance with his sword in hand. "So we just need to practice on your mobility and awareness while using the skill. Power will come with time and mastery."
Brandishing her sword, Ember smiled. "Finally, I was bored all day long." A small flame began to travel along the edge of the crimson training sword and ended up on the tip. Lunging forward, Ember gleefully began her training.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After dodging another blow from Ember, Noxtis circled around the dragonkin and slashed at her thighs which she was able to barely block in time. Without letting her get a chance to retaliate, Noxtis threw his fist forward into her stomach which she was able to block with her knee.
Leaping back and shaking his fist a few times, Noxtis chuckled. "Damn, that hurts. But you did block it, you're getting much better at your defense even after training for so long."
Collapsing on the ground with sweat dripping off her brow, Ember's sword dropped from her grip and the small flame extinguished with it. "Oh boo hoo, you certainly didn't make it easy on me. You're so damn fast and cheeky with your punches and kicks. I thought Master taught you to be a swordsman, not a brawler."
Noxtis removed his own shirt which already had several burn marks covering it. Grabbing a jar out from his spatial ring, and removing the lid, Noxtis spread some of the light jade-colored creme on the burn marks. As the creme's effects began to set in, a cool and soothing feeling eased the burning sensation.
"Heh, well he did say that while a sword is good, being able to defeat your enemy in any way possible and have each part of your body being a killing weapon. Only the foolish will rely solely on their weapon."
Walking over to Ember, Noxtis grabbed the exhausted dragonkin and carried her over to the bathing area. Laying her by the side of the decently sized hot spring, Noxtis removed the rest of his clothing and gingerly entered the steaming hot water.
"Not going to help your lovely partner take off her clothes?"
Noxtis just laughed. "Of course not, what if you ambushed me? I'm just a powerless little beastkin, there's no way I could handle the attack of a scary dragonkin like you."
A ball of cloth pelted Noxtis in the face as a pair of toned pair of scaled legs entered the hot spring. Rubbing her sore body with the soothing hot water, Ember nudged Noxtis who had his eyes closed with one of her feet.
"Mmm?"
"What do you want to do when we're done with all this?"
"All this?"
"After forging our weapon spirits and participating in the tourney. I'm sure Grandpa Flint doesn't really care too much about us getting top ten and can't really stop us from leaving the city whenever we want. Although I would like to participate anyway to test myself against others will be fun."
Looking up into the darkening sky, Noxtis slipped deeper into the hot water until only his head was above the surface. "I'm not sure really. I don't really have any plans. I've never really had any big aspirations growing up.
Maybe I had gotten too comfortable with my daily life and training. Maybe I never had a strong enough reason to get out of that village and explore the world. It's a bit awkward to say out loud, but...if I hadn't met you, I'm not sure what I would be doing with my life.
After having experienced all these new things and fighting and just how big the world is, I can't help but feel so much smaller. My desire to see what the world has to offer and to experience that with you seems...right."
". . ."
"I've said something stupid huh?" Rubbing his wet hair and ears, Noxtis blushed which was thankfully covered by the steaming water.
"Honestly Noxtis, I was so sure that I would never find myself with a partner. For so long I have always admired my Grandfather and his strength. Ever since my parents died when I was too young to even understand, my grandfather was the only one who looked over me.
He took care of me and trained with me and spoiled my every whim. The other tribesmen respected me of course, but I could tell even then that others kept their distance from me.
I've never told you the story of why I wanted to be a swordsman, but I had seen an astonishing fight that completely tore down what I knew the cultivation world could offer.
From then on I continued to train my body, bloodline skills, and sword techniques and got used to being alone. It became so boring though, I took every opportunity I could to see new experiences and put myself in life and death situations just to feel the thrill."
Ember giggled and nervously sloshed the water around.
"Honestly, I didn't even want to go on the merchant trip but was dragged along by Elder Gundlach who was practically my whelpsitter. But...I'm glad to have met you.
It's crazy to think sometimes that I might have never really found what true sword cultivation is before I had gotten too far along the wrong path I had been traveling. I used to be so anxious to get stronger and prove to everyone that I was worthy enough to be related to my grandfather.
But now...I realized how stupid I had been.
I realized that I had been trying to prove myself to beastkin whose opinion shouldn't matter at all. Maybe I was trying to prove something to myself, I honestly don't know anymore.
But one thing that I do know now, I haven't felt more close to someone else than I do with you now. I don't know if it's because of the pact we made or the adventures we've been through, but whatever it may be...I feel safe and serene for the first time that I can remember.
So wherever you decide to go, I'll follow."
Noxtis laughed and suffered a harsh splash of water in return.
Smiling at the frowning Ember who had her arms crossed against her sizable chest, Noxtis couldn't help but wipe the water off his face and smile. Shuffling closer to Ember, Noxtis wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.
"We can figure that out as we get to it. For now, let's focus on forging our weapon spirits and then train for the tourney. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself and perform badly in front of my lovely partner now."
Punching Noxtis' shoulder and rolling her eyes, Ember felt the soreness from earlier slowly fade away.
Getting out of the hot spring and drying off, the two ate some food that Ember had stored away and went to sleep together.
Still naked, they both got comfortable as they slipped into the sheets. Laying on the bed with Ember on top of him, Noxtis gently laid kisses over the crimson scales covering her shoulder and trailed to her neck.
Resisting the urge to flinch at the sensation, Ember used her hands to explore the toned stomach and arms of her partner. Sealing her lips with a fierce kiss, Noxtis brushed aside Ember's fiery red hair aside and caressed the soft skin of her back. Collapsing into his embrace, Ember snuggled up close to Noxtis and they both drifted off to sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Waking up in the morning, Noxtis yawned.
'Hey you two love cubs, I finished your weapon forging formations. You have all the items you need so we should forge them now so you both have time to train with them by the time you attend your little tourney.'
'Master! You're back!'
'Hello, Teacher Mirko.'
'Yeah, yeah, no need to shout. Sorry for my long absence, creating those formations took a lot more of my reserve spirit qi than expected. How much longer do you two have till the tourney starts?'
'The Beastking Tourney starts in four days.'
'Hmmm, very well. You will start forging today and then spend the rest of the time getting used to your weapon spirits.'