The garden was serene, except for the occasional rustle of leaves and the sound of Fren's awkward footwork. On the side, Ress lay sprawled on the grass under a tree, arms behind his head, looking half-asleep but still keeping one eye open.
Vanessa clapped her hands. "Alright, Fren. Let's get serious. You need to improve your stamina and your technique if you want to survive out there."
Fren fidgeted with the wooden sword. "What if we just… skip to the eating part? Like, Kai seems to have that figured out."
"Oi!" Kai called out, munching on a sandwich while leaning against the fence. "Eating's an art, Fren. Don't drag me into this."
Vanessa sighed and stepped forward to adjust Fren's grip. "Hold it like this. Firm, but don't choke the handle. You're not trying to strangle it."
Ress, watching from his spot on the grass, chuckled lazily. "Vanessa, don't tire yourself. Fren's got the stamina of a wet noodle."
"Excuse me?!" Fren shot back, indignant. "I have at least the stamina of a dry noodle!"
The Alarm Buzzer
Before Vanessa could scold them both, a loud buzzer blared through the garden, startling Fren. He flailed, dropping the sword on his foot and hopping around in pain.
"What the heck is that?!" Fren yelped, gripping his throbbing foot.
Vanessa folded her arms. "It's the alarm. It goes off when a monster is detected near the city we're assigned to protect."
Kai wiped his hands on his pants and smirked. "Yep. White light means it's a low-level monster. Nothing worth breaking a sweat over."
Fren squinted at the buzzer's glowing light. "Why is it white? Shouldn't it be red for danger?"
Vanessa shrugged. "Red's for high-level threats. If it's white, it's barely worth getting out of bed for."
Ress stretched under the tree, not bothering to stand. "Exactly. That's why I'm not moving. Kai, Aria, and Rosa can handle it."
Kai groaned, finishing the last bite of his sandwich. "Man, I just sat down. Why's it always us?"
Aria appeared from the house, already armed and ready. "Because you're the one who eats all day. Let's go."
Rosa, tying her boots, grabbed Kai by the collar. "Move it, lazybones."
As the three left, Fren turned to Vanessa, wide-eyed. "Shouldn't I be helping? What if it's dangerous?"
Vanessa smirked. "Relax, rookie. You're staying here. Besides, we've got bigger problems—like your terrible stamina."
Building Stamina
Vanessa pointed to the garden path. "Start running laps. Now."
Fren groaned. "Laps? Really? I thought we were supposed to be learning sword skills."
Vanessa crossed her arms. "You can't swing a sword if you're out of breath. Start running."
Fren muttered under his breath but began jogging in slow, clumsy circles.
"Faster!" Vanessa called. "This isn't a casual stroll!"
Vanessa laughed. "Keep going, Fren. You'll thank me later."
Ress, who hadn't moved from his spot under the tree, finally spoke. "He's doing better than I expected. Give it another hour, and he might even look like a real fighter."
Fren groaned, collapsing onto the grass. "Can we just… fight the monster instead? That sounds less painful."
Vanessa smirked. "Not a chance. Now get up and run."
Fren sighed, dragging himself back to his feet as ress laughed, "Don't die before dinner, Fren!"
To be continue...