I stepped forward into the training tower, not the one in unicorn way. After I returned the professor sent me to the training tower, I honestly don't know what I was expecting. But she explained that fairies are inherently non violent so she would only heal me. In the tower in front of me I was going to have to use my beetles to battle. My goal? Just destroy one of these training dummies.

  But I soon saw what I came for. A training dummy, well kind of it wasn't just a post to whack away at the training dummy was more like a clockwork golem even holding a big staff that was about as long as it was tall.

  In my eagerness to fight I might have forgotten to ask about how one goes about summoning these things. I just ran out the moment she told me what I needed to do. So I stood awkwardly in front of the idle standing golem. On a whim I pushed magic into the card and before I could toss it appearing in front of me on the floor was a beetle, it came up to my waist looked and looked to be made of wood.

  I only processed that for a moment when it dashed forward to attack the golem. I certainly wasn't expecting the training dummy to fight back, but fight back it did. With a swirl of its staff the magical bug got flung upwards with a weighted smack. Once the beetle dissipated into magic, the card in my hand had lost that magic tingle. It wasn't broken it was just not charged, it would need some time for me to call another one with this card anyways.

  The golem went back to being idle, seeing the ineffectual attack of the bug I decided to go with a more direct magic attack. Pushing my magic into my hand I decided on a fireball, since it was made of wood it should be effective. So once I had a golf ball sized fireball in my hand I tossed it out. I would have liked more, but that was the limit for me. Any more and I would be passed out, I was already feeling the exhaustion as it was. With a grin I tossed it out and was rewarded with a dull popping sound of the ball popping on the golem. It stepped back stumbling and I jumped up shouting with amazement.

  I swear I only looked away a moment as I was celebrating and my joy at throwing a real fireball. But I was reminded rather cruely when my vision was filled with the sight the end of that wooden staff swinging around to smack into my face. Unlike the golem I fell over instantly using my hand to grasp around against the stone floor.

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  "Wwhaa?" I definitely saw stars there a moment when it hit me... It would seem the golem is purely reactionary. I saw it create distance quickly returning to a spot a good distance away. My vision was blurry as I clutched around in my robe for the card I got earlier today. The cute sight of the fairy on the card made me chuckle a bit, she was quite hilarious when I thought about it. Pushing magic into it she was there I watched as she flew around me then hovered in front of me a moment before she blew a kiss at me. Clarity shot through me.

  I got distracted in a fight and the training dummy punished that. I guess it's good I didn't destroy it with my attack, I would have hated to learn this lesson against something deadly trying to kill me. I sat up feeling the exhaustion more than ever. I gazed at the training dummy, other than some scorched wood it looked to be functioning just fine. Though I noted that it wasn't just standing idle it was holding the staff ready strike if needed. No doubt it was warning me to stop and rest before trying again.

  I thought about it... I just got beat up by a wooden doll. She didn't say anything about a time limit so I should go get some rest anyways. I left the tower with a yawn leaving the golem behind.

  That night I slept heavily dreaming I was surrounded by training golems. But I didn't look away when they tried to strike, instead I dodged each strike. Lessons learned I guess, don't get distracted and don't get hit. Though fighting with one's own body was one that seemed to be mostly lost with todays wizards. What if I had a flaming sword? I could chop that golem's head off in one stroke. Or so I would like to think, there's no telling if I could actually do it.

  When I woke up it was late morning, I needed to get food then do some training of my magic before I went to the training tower on my second attempt at that golem. I was cycling my magic in my body, moving it around feeling how it seemed to stimulate my muscles. At first I was reluctant to say it did anything but I had in fact noticed an increase in strength. But the stronger I was the more I could carry, meaning I had more magic to tap into making each training session more effective than the previous one.

  I wouldn't make the same mistake as before, by that I mean get distracted while fighting. I still think my attack was way more effective than the beetle was. But with how easily it was defeated was there a way to make the stupid bug a viable means of attack against the golem? Then it hit me, I needed to go talk to my professor, she would know how or at least point me in the right way. She probably would have if I didn't run off the first chance I got.

  That was my goal for today, talk to the professor then defeat that golem. I told myself I was going to make sure I would never again fall to a training dummy.