The day after he arrived at Lady Falle's, Zieg woke Gangolf early in the morning. He had set out a set of the black clothes that Gangolf had seen in the wardrive. This set appeared quite robust, with a heavy leather vest, and thick tunic and pants. Accompanying the outfit was a simple swordbelt, with an empty scabbard attached. After he was changed, Zieg led Gangolf down to one of the lower floors, into a large spacious room, with a high ceiling. There was an array of various weapons on the walls, spears, pikes, maces, morningstars to name a few. A brutish man with a tuft of blond hair on his forelock stood in the center of the room with his arms crossed. The tuft looked comical, but his musclebound, scarred frame would deter any but the brave or foolhardy from laughing.
"This is Kohl." Zieg stated, as he withdrew from the training room.
Silent, Kohl stared down at Gangolf, which was a surprise given his recent growth. Kohl grunted as he handed Gangolf a wooden training sword.
Thunk! Kohl sword came down on Gangolf's head, knocking him unconscious.
Gangolf opened his eyes to see Kohl smiling down at him, golden teeth scattered through his mouth.
"Now you know, always be on guard." Kohl spoke slowly as he helped Gangolf up. Furious Gangolf swung his own sword at him, aiming for his head. Kohl simply stepped back, letting the sword swing past, narrowly missing his head. Gangolf continued swinging at Kohl, raining a barrage of blows down on him. But Kohl's defense was seemingly impenetrable, as the instructor always seemed to be just out of reach, or his sword would be in the right place to knock any blow awry. Gangolf could only watch, as Kohl's sword slithered past his own and rapped at his wrist, causing him to drop the training blade.
"First, we learn to swing." Kohl handed back Gangolf sword and demonstrated a stance. He stood with his knees slightly bent, one foot forward and swished the blade forward.
"All weapons the same, stay loose, stay balance. Win fight." Kohl continued. Gangolf attempted to replicate Kohl's swing, but a poke from Kohl's sword sent him flying.
"Doggy boy, strong arm does not mean strong swing, use everything. You swing for 10 year, maybe you can swing like me." Kohl chuckled as he adjusted Gangolf's stance with his blade. Gangolf gritted his teeth, stopping himself from taking another swing at Kohl. The instructor grinned at him, seeming to take joy in his frustration. Gangolf took a deep breath and continued to practice his swing. What felt like hours later, Zieg returned to escort Gangolf back to his rooms, where a bath and a meal awaited him.
"Await me before you eat, I will be teaching you etiquette." Zieg said before leaving Gangolf to his bath.
"Well then, we shall forget the marrow scooper for now, try to take small bites and chew your food Gangolf." sighed Zieg.
"Sorry Zieg." Gangolf mumbled through a mouthful of food. Gangolf's appetite had grown and grown since his transformation, and his training with Kohl had left him feeling constantly starved. Zieg sighed as he watched Gangolf rip chunks off of a leg of lamb with his teeth and decided to try again another time. A clinking, tinkling sound at the door made them both start, looking towards the door.
"Never seen an ugly face?" Schwin stood at the door smiling at the two of them. He had a wheel of cheese under one arm, nursing his pipe with the other.
"Brought you a taste of home." Setting the wheel on the small table, Schwin took a seat on the bed.
"Had some Senke cheese left from the last time the lads were down from the mountain." Schwin grimaced, bracing himself.
"Look, I figure I should tell you what happened. I already said that I had some dealings with the lads from your village. Anytime I needed an unknown face for a dirty job down here, I'd send a messenger boy up the mountain. Thing is, we all got tied up in a nasty spat between Lady Falle and Lord Vergel, we broke into one of his storehouses and took some valuables, but we ran into some of his men. One thing led to another and there's knives flashing and swords drawn. During the brawl, Lord Vergel's nephew gets stabbed in the eye and one of your village boys get left behind. Vergel get him down in his dungeons and does what he does best. That gets the information he needs to send the pack to your village." Schwin patted Gangolf on the shoulder. While Gangolf stared off into the distance, lost in thought.