The group was all sitting and eating breakfast still not fully awake yet but well rested nonetheless. Everyone enjoyed the meal that Archvald had prepared. While they ate he began to question them. "So Rachel you've set A-side your differences with these two I see? " She rolled her eyes and scoffed in response to the man. "As if I simply had no choice as the woken we are following are friends and joined a squad together." Xavier then cut in and gave his mind on the subject. "I believe you are learning to like us even if you don't admit it. You did finally sit with us last night and came looking for us this morning."
Everyone snickered a bit and Rachel blushed a bit downing some water to try and hide it. As they finished their breakfast everyone thanked the quartermaster and helped him clean up. The group then set out to go study in the castle but Xavier stayed behind to help the man finish the last bit. "Excuse me sir but may I ask you a favour." The Quartermaster looked at Xavier and smiled. "Depends on what the favour is kid. Ask me and I'll give you an answer." He was carrying the last set of dishes from the table to the washbasin as Xavier cleaned them.
"Well, sir I was wondering if you'd be willing to train me in combat. I've been wanting to grow stronger but I feel that practice is the only way I can manage that." Xavier finished cleaning the last of the dishes and turned to face Archvald waiting for his answer. "Well I can do that but only under one condition. I'll only train you if you and your friends bring me company every morning. And that means for today ill give you some practice if you're ready for it." Xavier smiled and nodded. "I'm ready sir when you are." The quartermaster grabbed two wooden practice swords and tossed one to Xavier. Xavier caught it by the handle and made his way to the door.
The two of them began to walk outside and entered the large field meant for training soldiers. "Alright boy now listen up for this as I'll say it once. I'll teach you how to guard and parry today as they are essential for surviving a fight. If you want to grow stronger surviving is gonna be important for that." He then raised his sword into a readied stance and Xavier did his best to mimic the stance. Seeing the quartermaster take a step forward Xavier shifted his back leg outward a bit more widening his stance slightly and seeing the quartermaster cut straight down with the wooden sword Xavier held his out horizontally.
The wood cracked together and Xavier was then hit in the face by the edge of his own sword. Xavier felt his face and pulling it away was relieved to see he hadn't caused a bloody nose. "That was a good attempt kid but you need to match or surpass your opponent's strength otherwise that will happen in combat. I wouldn't wanna see that happen to you out in the wild. Now you attack me and I'll show you how to properly parry." He entered the stance again and Xavier studied him for a moment and cut across from the inside trying to get the quartermaster in the chest. The veteran fighter tilted his blade into a forty-five-degree angle and cut upward carrying the attack upward and sending Xavier's practice weapon out of his hands.
Xavier was a bit surprised that the wooden sword was knocked away so easily and he went to go pick it back up. As soon as he turned though he felt a throbbing pain shoot through his back as he had been hit by the quartermaster. "Remember to keep your guard up even if you don't have a weapon." Xavier then kept facing the man as he slowly walked to his weapon and when he kneeled for it he saw the quartermaster going for an overhead strike. Xavier quickly grabbed the handle and put his hand against the blade to support it and raised it over his head as the wood again cracked together. This time however the wooden blades stayed against each other as Xavier properly guarded against it.
"You're starting to learn now. This means I can let out several swings at once and you can guard or parry them. Be ready now kid as this lesson isn't gonna get any more breaks." The quartermaster then let off three rapid strikes going left then right then up and Xavier managed to block the first one and parry the second. However, the third caught him off guard and Xavier took it straight to the chin and he could feel his teeth clamp together and rattle. Before he could think or register the pain Xavier noticed another set of attacks being readied against him again and tried his best to block them. He caught the first one against the blade and crossguard but took the others to the left shoulder and right hip.
This process continued for over an hour and with each set Xavier could slowly begin to recognize the movements of the quartermaster. Xavier then began to block and parry each set that was thrown at him. After several sets were properly guarded and parried the quartermaster smiled and held the fake weapon at his side. "You did a good job kid. Most people won't make the attacks as obvious as I did but the more you fight and the different kinds of things you fight will help you learn to read any situation. Now, how about you get a shower as you seem a bit spent on energy."
Xavier was clutching the wooden sword hard enough that his knuckles were white. The rest of him was shaking from the constant impacts against the wooden sword and he was dripping with sweat his hair slightly in his eyes. He nodded and tried to let go of the weapon but his hands were stuck around the hilt of it and he held it to the quartermaster. "Can I possibly ask you to get this out of my hands please?" The quartermaster grabbed Xavier's hands and carefully pulled back his fingers till the weapon dropped to the ground and Xavier flexed his fingers realizing how sore his entire arms and hands felt.
"I think I'll take that shower hopefully the water helps a bit." Xavier followed the quartermaster back to his building and was led to a small room where he saw something he was unfamiliar with. "How do I turn on this shower sir?" The man began to explain it to Xavier. "There is a basin at the top filled with water, once you pull the slab out here." The man tapped a wooden slab in place against what seemed like the faucet of a watering can. "Then the water should flow and you'll have about five minutes to wash up properly." Xavier nodded and closed the door and prepared himself for the shower.
Xavier quickly washed himself and shivered a bit as the water was still cool from the night before. After getting cleaned Xavier stepped out to find a towel and a pile of fresh clothes on a chair outside the shower. "I'm not certain if those will fit you but they should be close enough. Figured you didn't wanna put on those dirty ones again till they got a chance to be cleaned and all." Xavier changed into the clothes pulling on the pair of trousers and a shirt that was a bit baggy on him. He used his belt to tighten the pants and tucked the shirt into them so that he looked a bit more presentable and stepped out to meet the quartermaster again.
"Thank you sir I promise I'll return these to you tomorrow once I have my clothes washed." The older man raised his hand and shook his head. "I have no need for them. Keep them as a spare in case you ever need them. I hope to see you grow into them a bit better though kid." The man then got up from the chair he was in and began to walk outside again. "Alright kid I've got a job to do now and you have your friends to meet up with. I suggest you find them before the two girls murder each other." Xavier laughed a bit making the mans smile grow a bit and after they stepped outside the two of them walked off. The quartermaster towards the barracks and Xavier to the castle. Xavier looked over his shoulder and smiled before heading into the castle thinking to himself he was glad to have someone capable enough to train him. All that he needed now was to make sure he studied more about this world and the creatures within it before he had a chance to risk his life.