Chapter 148 - A Year In a Flash

Time from the first near death experience and lesson seemed to pass in what felt like a few short moments to the noble heirs. The beginning was the hardest, both in terms of learning curve for survival and the lessons imposed. The first days seeming like a constant walk on a razors edge between life and death.Their initial struggles in terms of survival were the creation of a true home base. The cave they had found was a shelter for sure, but the cramped, dank and dark hole in the stone could hardly be called a home base. They did not know of any true water sources in the area beyond the slight sheen of water that the fog outside would form on the stone floor and walls after passing through the entrance of the cave up above. They also weren't sure of what food sources were around them and last but not least they had the rose controlled monster of a fish in the closed off chamber down below.At first, they considered finding a new base camp, but after discussing the pros and cons of attempting to move, as well as the fact that the fog outside would likely cause them to lose their way back if they strayed too far unprepared, they chose this to be their stronghold for the year. This choice led to a slew of lessons in how to fortify and secure such a location by their mentors and how to better ensure their survival. From tracking and hunting in unknown surroundings to scavenging unknown plants and learning whether they were edible, each of the heirs were brought through a whirlwind of knowledge in such a short time that their heads spun. Yet they were not given the chance to take it slow. They were in charge of their own survival as the instructors were only there to teach them the needed lessons and ensure that they did not die via a mistake or something coming to attack them that they couldn't handle.Mark taught them a large amount about protecting themselves in fights of all types, from fighting packs of animals to facing off against animals as fierce and large as bears. He was in charge of their initial physical training, building routines for each to help shore up their weaknesses. Unfortunately, his strict instruction made him one of the most disliked of the mentors. Jien was used to Mark's training by now, so he didn't mind as much but Olivia and Rosalind continuously complained until they realized that each time they did so Mark upped their routine stating that if they could complain they weren't pushing themselves hard enough.Iris taught them how to control a battlefield from a central position in their group. Each of the heirs had the opportunity to try each of the main positions in an average military unit, learning what each specialized in and what they were best at. Even after several times in each position and finding where they were most comfortable, they were forced to continue to shuffle and assume different unit compositions, sometimes leaving out scouts, sometimes not having a designated healer and more. She continued to push them from one formation to another relentlessly, sometimes having them change composition mid assignment to force them to act as if they had lost a certain member of their team. This stretched them thin in terms of both mind and body, constantly weary of what change would be next.Lila taught each of them how to hunt properly. While Lesley, the only member who used a bow had been known to do some hunting Lila drilled into each of them different styles of hunting and the knowledge necessary for foraging various plants. Lila was a teacher of few words, but she always answered questions when asked and ensured that those she was teaching used those given answers in practice on a consistent basis, proving an impeccable memory over the span of months. She tended to be one of the mentors that everyone warmed up to the most, often relying on her for questions that they didn't want to ask the other mentors, oft bringing a smile to her lips.Johnathan taught a few fields, one was how to fortify an encampment in a variety of measures, another was the basics of blacksmithing, both manual and magical. Rosalind always hit it off in these lessons, her raw strength and experience putting her far ahead of others, though they were all surprised to see Jien keep up with his knowledge and experience in magical blacksmithing. He lacked some of the knowledge and a large amount of practice but with Johnathan's guidance his skills seemed to accelerate at a pace that left the others stunned. He even took physical notes of the things that each mentor taught him for reasons that nobody seemed to know but him, often staying up longer than the others to review.David and Julian taught a combination of tracking and first aids from the most basic to the most advanced, blending in knowledge of alchemy with the first aid to ensure that each of them could create basic salves to help seal cuts, disinfect wounds, among other various applications. They even went as far as teaching them how to create some basic potions to assist with different conditions such as heat exhaustion. Once again Jien showed his prowess, leaving the others far behind, though Olivia, coming from a city built on the harvesting of herbs managed to keep up to a better degree than the others. Rosalind fell behind in this subject, failing to grasp a variety of the subtleties, but nobody looked down on her for it.Tracking was the hardest for everyone but Barret. The lesson was not only how to spot and follow tracks but how to do so silently and without leaving traces that could be traced to you. David, Lesley's mentor seemed especially good at this which surprised many. One would have thought that Iris, Barret's mentor would specialize in this field given his proficiency in it but while she definitely could they found that it was not her area of expertise. They mainly trained this skill by 'hunting' David as he hunted them, often finding themselves caught before they could even find a trace of his passing.The first months were hard, they spent their time between lessons, hunting and fortifying their position and expanding the chamber they called home with a mix of arcane and physical means. The end result was a cavern with several small rooms for each of the group members and a central chamber large enough to set a fire pit and have a rough wooden table large enough for all of them to sit at. They had created a large hole in the floor at the back of the room with grooves to assist the water that clung to the walls and floor to gather in a pool. This was one of their water sources that they would use to boil.Beyond this they spent their time building a proper stable for their horses and fortifying the space around the cave entrance against all variety of danger. Lastly, they had firmly sealed the cavern with the controlled fish behind a blend of more stone and wood braces to ensure the beast would have a hard time escaping.Before they knew it the year was through, it was time for them to take the first step outside of this forest in several months. They looked forward to seeing their families and being out of the ever-treacherous forest. The mentors, horses and heirs gathered before a formation plate made of a bluish green metal that glowed slightly with a dark hue. The space around the disk seemed to stabilize despite the forest itself swirling with disorienting mists.