Today has been rather eventful. I got to meet Lilith, a nice girl, though we didn't talk much before going to Lord Borin's house. She's apparently been the one who's been training Will and putting him through so much pain. Anyone who puts Will through pain is alright in my book. Then Lilith became Will's fiance which came out of left field and going off of Will's reaction he was just as surprised.
They told me afterwards at the restaurant (before my mouth was set on fire) that it was only an act so Lilith can adventure with Will—but I call B.S. Those two got something going on, I can tell. When Will is around her he is more awkward than usual, which is saying something. Speaking of the restaurant after I drank some stew my mouth lit on fire. It was painful, I was running around the restaurant shooting flames for about three minutes.
I'm pretty sure all my taste buds are dead now. It happened to Remi too, yet did not happen to anyone else at our table. I'm pretty sure Will pranked us so I definitely have to meet up with Remi later to plan for revenge. It wasn't all bad though, I got a stuffed dragon and I'm pretty sure I became a legend at that place. Hopefully they'll give me a discount in the future. I love my dragon, he's red and black which is great because that's the best color scheme. I've decided to name him Reagan and placed him on my desk so that I may always look at him.
After the whole dinner fiasco I went back to my room to read some more. It's been great despite the fact that the history book by Vasavir isn't a history book at all. His book on the fall of the Holy Westphalian Empire is him talking about how attractive each empress was. Fascinating stuff, but I'm sure it's something you shouldn't bring up in normal conversation.
I've been attempting to read the forbidden books in my room but they haven't been of much help. I tried reading one and immediately passed out. I tried reading another one and got a stomach ache. I then tried looking at the one with weird symbols and surprisingly nothing happened. I think it's because I couldn't actually read it so the book had no effect on me. It's like what Morgol said. I'm going to have to learn the language of the druid monks in order to read the book. I have a strong feeling it's the key to getting me home.
Makes sense since I'm trying to talk to Gods. Perhaps the book played a role in the ritual which summoned Will and I to this world. My next plan of action then, is to find some druids and make them teach me their language. I've looked at all my books on them. I haven't found anything related to their language, only their history—which I suppose is a start.
It's 5:00 am when I hear a knock at my door. That's weird, Will should be asleep. I wonder what's wrong. I go to the door and open and all I see is buff. Specifically the buff chest of a buff man. I look up and it's Armstrong.
"Ah, you're awake. I'm actually surprised. I was expecting to drag you out of bed. What are you doing up so early?" he asks me.
"Reading. I've realized at a young age that sleeping and reading are negatively correlated. You maximize reading time by sleeping the minimum amount. What are you doing here?" I question.
"Did you forget? Today is the day you start your personal training. I made you a regimen so we can master your abilities."
"Nah, I'm good. You can go home."
"Hah. Not happening. You have way too much potential. Besides, the lords ordered it, remember? You got your books and in return you agreed to start training to become an imperial knight."
Oh no I forgot that was the deal. I was hoping I could simply read forever. Dang it, people are holding me accountable for things. This is awful.
"Do we have to do this now? Can't we wait until the sun is actually out?" I plead.
"Nope. If we start any later, we won't have enough time. You also have to train with the knights," Armstrong informs.
This is awful on top of awful. It sounds like I'll be busy all day. That means I'll have less time to read. What a horrible time to be alive. I would try to fight this but I'm sure that Armstrong would beat me up.
"Ok fine. Should I wake Will up then?" I ask.
"That won't be necessary. I'll train him later. I have my own plans for him. Right now it's going to just be you and me. Come on let's go," Armstrong answers.
Well—now I'm scared. What horrors is this man going to put me through? If Will was there, I could at least take comfort in the fact that I wasn't suffering alone. I'm not looking forward to this at all. I nod to him and we leave the castle into the streets of Colonus.
This is the first time I've seen the streets of Colonus at night. The place looks pretty, yet eerie. The streets and walkways are lit up by lanterns and the moon's freaking red which actually gives the place a nice look but now everything looks like a horror movie with the red tint. I barely see any people, only a few homeless sleeping on benches or walking to who knows where. In the midst of my thoughts, Armstrong starts to question me.
"So, how much do you know about our war class? The monks?" he inquires as we walk down a large paved road alone.
"Not much to be honest. My books explained how they were effective in wars but that's about it."
"You don't know how we can improve our power?"
"I only know what you told me, which is that we're really good with aura."
"I'll let you in on it then. A monk's aura is closely tied with their physical abilities. The stronger the body, the stronger the aura the monk can summon. Therefore it is imperative that a monk is in peak physical condition to use their aura to its fullest extent," Armstrong explains.
I don't like where this is going. He's making it sound like I have to exercise. Please let that not be the case.
"Hey where are we going anyway?" I ask.
"To North Point," he answers.
"Why didn't we take a portal? Like, sure, Will is still a menace for making them mess up but I'm sure we'd be fine."
"Less fitness that way. Don't complain, it's only a few more miles."
Oh no, this is what I thought was going to happen. Wait, did he just say a few more miles? We haven't even started yet and I'm already hating this. I sigh as we keep walking. I have no idea how long we've walked but it feels like it's been forever. We keep going and going and there are way too many inclines in Colonus.
I will never take the portals for granted again; even if I've never used one that was working correctly. We finally make it to North Point and I'm sweating like crazy. My feet burn but we at least we're here. After passing some huge buildings Armstrong leads me into a huge colosseum.
"Let's warm up a bit before we start shall we? Go ahead and start running around the arena," Armstrong orders me.
"Wasn't walking here the warm up? Feels like we've walked a marathon," I say.
I'm probably exaggerating but I've never walked so far in my life.
"Of course that wasn't the warm up. That was a simple 7 mile hike. Now go ahead and start running."
".....For how long?" I ask, dreading the answer.
"Till I say to stop. Usually I get bored after you run six miles," he says jovially.
Jesus, are you there? It's me Quincy. I don't know if you exist in this world but please save me. This is too much for any person to handle.
"But I'll die if I do that! I'm already exhausted," I argue.
"If you could use your aura that would make things a lot easier. Aura and physical fitness go hand in hand," he explains.
"B-but I can't. I told you it only comes out when I'm in danger."
"I know and that's the problem. We won't be able to do any more training unless you can summon aura on your own. I could beat you up again but you can't train once you're unconscious. I'm afraid once I start a fight I have to finish it, that's the warrior in me and right now we're trying to unlock the warrior in you. We're going to do everything we can to make you summon your aura without putting you in danger. You need your aura to be an extension of yourself. Right now you're treating it like it's got a mind of its own—it doesn't. When it comes out, it's your body's reflex. I'm going to work you out until your mind and body makes the necessary connection to summon aura," Armstrong elaborates.
Whelp, this is going to suck. I have no idea how to make a connection between my body and mind in the way Armstrong describes. I sigh and start running around the colosseum. My feet are in a lot of pain and I'm already out of breath a few minutes in. I feel like I want to collapse. I have a steady pace at the beginning but after about 30 minutes I'm already running sluggishly. My feet are flopping on the floor and I'm definitely not swinging my arms correctly.
As I breathe heavily between my words I let out "I don't think this is working".
"You've never applied yourself physically have you? This is nothing compared to real training," Armstrong says disappointedly.
I hate how right he is. I worked out every and then back home but nowhere near this level. I felt fit running a mile and a half but this is putting that to shame. Now I'm out of breath and sad, what a horrible combination. Still not sensing any aura though. After running literally the longest distance in my life Armstrong tells me to stop. I fall on the ground in exhaustion. My poor feet.
"Now start doing push ups," Armstrong commands.
I look at him in disbelief while I lay. I don't ever want to get up again. Dirt has never felt so comforting.
"Come on, kid, you can do it. You think you're tired, but you've never faced real fatigue," Armstrong notes, trying to encourage me.
"Can I though?"
"Yep because you're still conscious. As long as you're conscious you can still move your body. Now get to it."
I sigh and get up only to get down again in the push up position. I start to do the push ups and yep this is as hard as I expected it to be. My arms are already in agony but I keep going out of fear of what Armstrong would do to me. I would say I kept count of how many I did but I didn't. In all honesty the rest of my training with Armstrong is mostly a blur, all of the exercises are jumbled together in an exhausting montage.
After doing the push ups I was then ordered to do sit ups. After that I did squats, then after that I did more running. As I was running my brain stopped having thoughts all together. That's when something interesting happened, I started to run much faster than I should have been when I looked down and saw that I had the aura around my body.
"Armstrong it's here! I did it!" I scream enthusiastically while running.
"Hah! You just now noticed?" he asks.
I stop in my tracks immediately and ask "What do you mean?"
"Your aura came back two hours ago. How else do you think you were able to do those exercises? A normal person would have collapsed by now," he states.
"Why did you make me keep going?" I shout at him.
"I told you, the more exercise you do the better. Plus it was to teach you a lesson. For us monks, summoning aura has to be second nature. We must be able to summon it at will yet at the same time make it a natural process. Like riding a bike," he explains.
"I don't see how that relates to you not telling me my aura came back sooner."
"When you first rode a bike without training wheels did your parents tell you you were riding by yourself or were you the one to notice it?"
"I still don't really get it, but I'm too tired to care," I tell him.
Does this mean Armstrong is my dad now? I don't know how to feel about that. But, hooray, I can control my aura—I think? I'm not really sure if I can but I'm glad I can stop exercising now.
"Ok, so what now?" I ask, walking up to Armstrong.
"I think we're done for today. Tomorrow we'll start your actual aura training now that your mind has made the required connection to summon aura. I have other business to attend to as well, good luck on your knight training," Armstrong replies as he starts to leave.
Wait, does that mean he's leaving me here?
I run after him yelling "Wait! Who is going to train me? Can I just go back to my room now?"
"Hah! Your trainer will be here shortly so no, you can't go back to your room. See you tomorrow, same time," Armstrong says as he leaves me behind.
I stay in the colosseum and I notice that it must be noon now given the sun's position right above me. How long have I been out here? Time flies by when you're in a lot of pain. The colosseum is full of knights training now. I didn't even notice when they arrived since I was so busy.
There are a few knights in one area practicing their sword skills while in another there's a group practicing with magic. Should I talk to somebody or something? I can't socialize so that's not an option. I try to find some place of the colosseum that's secluded. I feel like a social outcast and I don't even have a book to read so I don't look awkward. I decide to lie down to pass the time. Eventually I fall asleep.
"My friend! You can only do so much training in that position," says a voice I recognize very well.
I open my eyes and see the face—scratch that, the helmet—of Luther looking down at me.
I stand up groggy, wiping my eyes as I ask "What are you doing here?"
"I am here to train you to become a knight my friend! Together, we shall make you into the ultimate gentleman. Saving damsels in distress will result in you having many girlfriends,"
"Ugh, ok?" I say warily.
I'm excited to see Luther again but at the same time I don't think the man is teacher material. I also don't want to end up like him. Don't get me wrong, he is an amazing creature—but, I don't want women to hate me.
"No, no, he's not doing that," says Marianne who strolls up to us.
"I'm supposed to be the one to train you. Luther, why are you even here? It's your day off, aren't you supposed to be in your civilian clothes?" she angrily points out.
"These are my civilian clothes, my love. I heard you were assigned to make my friend strong. It is fitting that the best knight should train the second hero. I shall help," answers Luther.
Why am I not surprised he never takes off his armor? Marianne sighs and turns back to me.
"What Luther said is true. Lord Borin asked me to be the one to train you on all things imperial knight-related. After Armstrong teaches you aura you are to meet with me to learn about what it takes to become a knight then you are to go to class. Armstrong is a strong monk, don't get me wrong, but he won't teach you to fight like a knight," she explains.
Wait, did she just say class? As in academic classes? As in the thing I was glad to not go to since I came here? This is the worst day ever by far. I'd rather fight hillbillies in the woods any day.
"First lesson: never listen to Luther. Ever. Under any circumstances," Marianne instructs.
"How about three fifths of the time?" Luther asks.
"No," she retorts.
"Then two fifths of the time."
"No, not that either."
"Then one fifth of the time."
"Zero fifths of the time! Luther, go home, before I lose it. Quincy, are you ready to begin?" Marianne asks.
"Yeah, sure I guess. Quick question though. Why is everyone staring at us and all the guys look like they want to beat me up?" I inquire.
While Luther was annoying Marianne there was a crowd gathering around us. Everyone was ignoring me before but now it seems that I am the center of attention.
"They are jealous, my friend! Marianne is the most beautiful and popular knight there is. They would die just to be near her. To see you get one on one plus Luther time must make them want to kill you," Luther states.
"I think you're exaggerating Luther," Marianne says.
"LOVE YOU MARIANNE, WOOOOOO!" screams some guy in the background.
"That second hero a**hole. Why does he get to spend time with her and not me?" growls some other guy.
"Ok, maybe not but don't worry about them, they won't interfere. Just focus on your training. First thing's first, we gotta figure out your specialization. That way I'll know what to focus on. I know you're a monk which means you don't like to use weapons. You're more a hand to hand combat specialist who may or may be capable of aura ranged attacks. We'll figure that out eventually," she explains.
I never thought about it but Marianne is right. I never felt any inclination to pick up a sword or anything. The image of taking a blade of any kind and sticking it into a guy's chest makes me want to throw up. Strange given I've seen people die since I got here.
"How many specializations for monks are there?" I question.
"There are many, my friend! Let's see there is the striker, the grappler, the in-fighter, the blaster, and hmmm so many others. In fact many choose to become a hybrid specialist, choosing to combine combat styles. I am so excited to see what yours will be!" Luther exclaims.
For a swordsman he knows a lot about the monk class.
"Second question. Why isn't a monk teaching me this stuff? Actually, why not just have Armstrong teach me combat instead of just aura control?" I ask.
"That's because monks are the rarest war class. We don't have any imperial monks here in Colonus at the moment, they are all in Ayana dealing with the peasant rebellion. As for why Armstrong isn't teaching you everything, it's because not only is he busy but like I said the man isn't a knight so it would make no sense for him to teach you to fight like one. Yet monks use aura very differently than all other classes so only a monk can teach a monk how to fully handle their aura. Your class uses aura more than any other and uses it differently so I'm afraid this is the best way to set things up. Don't worry, I can do a decent job at teaching you how to fight because that isn't fully controlled by your aura. Anyone can do martial arts and I've mastered almost every fighting style. Your aura simply makes your blows much more powerful," Marianne elaborates.
"I guess that makes sense. How do we start to figure out what my specialization is?" I inquire.
"I was going to do this myself but since Luther won't leave I suppose he'll play this role. I want you to spar with Luther," Marianne orders.
"What?" I ask with what I'm sure is a look of disbelief on my face.
"Come on, my friend—do it! I can take it. I'm stronger than I look," Luther proclaims while he flexes.
I don't see any muscles bulging but I've seen what this guy can do so they're definitely there.
"That's not the problem. Luther's my friend. Plus, he'll kick my butt," I argue.
"Don't worry, I won't let him hit you too hard. It's the only way to unlock your specialization. Now, attack him with all your might. Don't hold back!" Marianne orders.
"Come on, my friend. The journey to becoming the ultimate gentleman—begins now! Show me your fisticuffs," Luther says as he lifts his arms in an old timey boxing stance.
I sigh and get into my boxing pose. I turn towards Marianne and she looks like she's already picked up on something. Her eyes are squinting and she looks like she's in deep thought. I turn back towards Luther aaaand he's gone. Where'd he go? I turn to Marianne hoping for an explanation but she doesn't say anything meaning that, no—Luther did not get abducted. I turn back around and get hit in the face with a jab. The armor only makes it hurt more!
I quickly recover and jump back from Luther. My aura is on me so the blow was lessened but my forehead still stings. I dash towards Luther and try to give him a jab to the face but he moves his head to the left like it was nothing, making me miss completely. I attempt to hit him with a straight, but he dodges it as well. I keep throwing a flurry of blows at him: left, right, left, right, left, right, but he dodges them all effortlessly. He throws a right hook but I duck, throwing a punch towards his gut. I somehow still miss as he shifts to the side.
I have to close in the distance. He's going to keep dancing around me otherwise. I dash forward to get as close to him as I can but Luther gives me another punch to the forehead preventing me from getting right in front of him.
My poor forehead, man this sucks. I can't give up this plan of attack however, since it's the only one I got. I have to get in such a way so that he can't hit me. I lean forward and raise my hands so that they're right in front of my face and dash towards Luther again. It actually works as I'm right in front of his stomach and there's no way he can dodge a punch from this close so I throw a right hook and he disappears again.
He vanishes before my very eyes. I frantically look around trying to see where he went when bam! I get hit on the left side of my head. It must have knocked off my equilibrium or something because I immediately plop to the ground.
"Alright, Luther, that's good!" Marianne declares.
"Yes, my love. My friend, that was amazing! You really got me off guard when you tried to move in close on me like that! You are going to become an amazing gentleman. You will have many girlfriends with those skills. They will swoon any queen," Luther congratulates.
I can't even look at him right now since everything is spinning. I'm stare at the sky while everyone is talking.
"Stop calling me that Luther! Anyways, Quincy, you did good, I can tell that you're close to unlocking your specialization. I think if you spar with Luther a few more times you'll unlock it. Your boxing style already tells me that you may be an in-fighter, which boxing style you'll use is left to be determined. Good start, I'd say," Marianne states.
Great, I can't wait to keep getting beat up by Luther for the time being. Will got a nice girl to beat him up a bunch of times until he unlocked his specialization—and I got Luther. I can't tell if my situation is better or worse. Probably worse, going off the pain. I slowly get up as the spinning stops.
"What happens now? Do I have to get beat up by Luther again?" I question.
"No, I think we're done for today. For now, you have to get to class. Your school supplies will be in the classroom so don't worry about that. I'll take you there," Marianne says.
"And I shall come with," Luther adds.
"No! Luther, go home!" Marianne orders
I glance at Luther to see if he'll leave, but nope. He's following us now, as Marianne leads me to one of the huge nearby buildings. I feel like a kindergartener being dropped by their parents on the first day of school. Are Luther and Marianne my parents now—what is happening? I feel embarrassed. The students are definitely giving me looks.
They're in these uniforms like I'm at some prep school. I guess this is what they wear when not doing physical training. They have on fancy white jackets with the imperial symbol on the right chest. The guys are wearing black pants while the girls are wearing black skirts. Good God, am I going to have to wear that? I'm still mad that I'm taking classes in the first place—now I gotta also wear a uniform? Marianne eventually takes me to a fancy hallway and then to a specific room.
"Well here's your first class. The teacher will give you your uniform, supplies, and the rest of your schedule. Any questions?" Marianne asks.
"Ugh, what class is this?" I inquire.
"Military history. The classes you take are all integral in helping you become an imperial knight. Though I will tell you since you are the second hero you won't have the standard curriculum," she explains.
I kinda stopped listening after she said history. Maybe this place won't be so bad. Despite that it still stings knowing I came to another world only to still be in school.
"Good luck, my friend! I cannot wait to see your growth!" Luther exclaims as he gives me a hug.
Luther and Marianne then walk off while berating Luther about something; probably about him not leaving when she told him to. I turn towards the door and walk into the classroom.