Each of them underwent a gruelling amount of training. From sunup to sundown their every moment was accounted for. Each person had a customized regiment on top of the group lessons. Their mealtimes, relaxation time and bedtime were the only time they could do something they wanted. Of course there were also their days off.
For the group lessons each day was the same in the morning first thing there was physical training. Here they learned martial arts, how to handle different weapons from swords to guns, followed by a break for breakfast. Next, they tackled literacy both in Elvish and English so that the members who could use magic knew what they were reading and so the others could communicate without others knowing what they were saying. This took them to lunchtime, after lunch they went into their individual plans.
For those who couldn’t use magic this meant specializing their skills either in combat, reconnaissance, survival skills or learning how to recognize and disable magical traps by altering their runes. Each of these were gruelling in their own right. Each race seemed to flock to a specific training as though it was second nature.
Bearites, Boarites and Badgerites, such as Sumal, mostly chose to go into combat training. Combat training included hours of physical strengthening, watching and reading materials on how each weapon could best be used. Followed by dummy training to allow for improvement of technique and basic weapon use. This was usually followed by dinner for an hour or so to allow them to relax a bit before going on to sparing. This left them with their free time and time to sleep before getting up and repeating it all again.
The feline races like the Pantherites, Lynxites and Osolites were drawn to the reconnaissance training. Reconnaissance had some overlap with those training in combat mostly in the form of sparing. They were more focused on staying out of sight and out of mind. Their afternoon training consisted of going over plans for various buildings, from the old world, and considering how best to get into them and to their target as best as possible. After this they would train by using their hideouts ductwork to get used to manoeuvring in small spaces, setting up platforms to hide on in the training area without having the rigging noticed from the ground level, and most importantly how to get information from a target without letting on you want the information. Then it was dinner time followed by sparring with the Combat trainees.
The more canine races the Foxites, Hynatites, and Coyotites were drawn to the Survivalist course. Here they learned the skills needed to survive and keep others alive. From how to make camp to how to erase any trace of themselves from an old campground. They used the botanist floor of the building for training. It was a small forest by now since it hadn’t been maintained in nearly 3000 years. Their first course after lunch was where they learned how to track one another so they could track animals and others in the wilderness. Next, they spent time reading and understanding anatomy so they could better perform first aid. That took them to dinner, their last course of the day was always to tear down their previous camp, remove as much of their presence from it as they could and re-setup camp elsewhere.
Those who could use magic spent their afternoons in different rotations. The first group would spend their time after lunch reading about how to cast magic and the different elements. The second group would study runes and magic circles. Their proper uses and placement and how to integrate magical energy into them. They would switch out for the second course of the afternoon. After dinner they would have individually prepared programs for different types of magic they wanted to study.
Artemis wanted to specialize in magic that increased his stealth, and speed as well as magic that allowed him to have unique abilities. So after dinner he rotated on a four day schedule one day learning the mechanics behind magic that enhanced his natural abilities, one day practicing those magics, one day understanding psychology and the mind, and the last day trying to implement magic of the mind. He usually opted to spend the fifth day working on his implementation of his unique spells he was attempting to make. His training for increasing his natural abilities included a portion of rune writing as he needed to place runes on his body to make the enhancements the most effective.
Tyrnal spent most of his time on support magic, used for healing spells and defence. He would spend his two periods after lunch reading up on things like The Use of Healing Magic in Everyday Application, Use of Healing Magic in an Expedition Setting, How to Defend Against Other Spells and Physical Dangers and other such materials. He would also study up on how to store spells for quick casting in the specialized devices Ashera had shown them from before. After dinner he would work on the mechanics of using runes to increase the potency of his magic spells; his hope was to increase his range and effectiveness by a factor of two.
Rothar and Lyna would spend the afternoon sparing while using physical enhanced magic. They seemed to learn best by doing so theory was kept to a minimum. They focused on strengthening their bodies to increase their damage output, they also focused on increasing their reflexes making them more mobile. After dinner, they would wind down with some studying of the theory behind anatomy and the runes they needed to draw on themselves to enable physical enhancements.
Xix and Seisis focused on stealth much like Artemis, unlike Artemis they chose to go one step further and use magic that would help to enhance their use of weapons from afar. One of the spells they were focusing on was called Distant Eye; it allowed them to see targets up to 10 km away as if they were only a few meters away. This, used with other spells to enhance their abilities with bows and guns, made it easy for them to take out targets without being noticed. They spent most of their afternoons on the botanist floor tracking and marking Survivalist course students. This served the purpose of enhancing their skills and the other students. After dinner they would spend time learning runes and magic circles used for traps.
Suntiana spent most of her afternoons reading up on the history of a specialized type of magic users called Druids. She would often try to monopolize Asheras free time by asking all kinds of questions about them. She wanted to know what this shape changing magic they could use was and what a beast soul was. Ashera would often change the subject when asked about this. She would instead talk about how druids had a connection with nature itself and could bring out the most potent of magics from plants. She would explain to Suntiana how Druids could take everyday things like branches and turn them into powerful magical artifacts simply by changing how it interacted with the world. They would carve it, engrave runes into it and sometimes depending on the quality of the tree the branch came from they could even engrave a magic circle into the head of the staff. Suntiana, wanting to learn as much as possible, never questioned Ashera when she did this. Instead, she endeavoured to find the answers in books, or sometimes when she could sneak into the control room she would check files on System to see what she could find.
Suntiana was able to access the database on different types of magic with relative ease. Once in there she noticed there were a lot more types of magic than she could ever have imagined. Most of the ones she had never seen before were about healing, enchanting and shapeshifting. She wondered what was meant by shapeshifting, so she decided to check that one out first. There it was at the top of the text “Druid magic and the ability to shapeshift”. Suntiana wondered why Ashera had wanted to keep this from her. She read on.
“Druids have the ability to shapeshift into different animal or half animal shapes. Such as but not limited to; Totem Warriors this category mostly consists of ursine creatures, the Cunning Clan consisting of feline creatures, Proud ones consisting of sued creatures, Sky Plunderers consisting of avian creatures, etc. The ability to shapeshift is determined by the clan the druid belongs to. Every druid has the ability to choose between their human form, the full bestial form or the combination form. Each form has its advantages and disadvantages. In human form it is easier to get around as almost all forms of transportation, except military carriers, are designed to accommodate this form. In this form however the druids are vulnerable and extremely uncomfortable as they usually spend most of their time either in full beast form or mixed. In beast form they take on all aspects of their chosen animal. It does mean they are unable to communicate with others outside their chosen bestial form. In mixed form, where most are the most comfortable, they have the abilities of their beast form to a lesser degree. They also have the ability to communicate amongst other races such as humans, elves, dwarves and dragonfolk…”
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It continued but Suntiana was shocked once she saw the artwork depicting druids in their mixed forms. The forms looked eerily like all the beastites in the elven kingdom. She didn’t know how to process this.
“Did this mean all the beastites were descendants of the druids,” she wondered aloud. “Are we all able to turn back into humans? Or has that ability been lost. Is this what Ashera wanted to keep from me?”
The more she thought about Ashera dodging her questions and avoiding the topic the more she felt angry about it. Suntiana wasn’t sure what Ashera thought would happen if she got this information but now, she needed to know what was really going on.
Suntiana burst into the training hall where Ashera and Artemis were sparring. She walked up to Ashera and with a look of pure determination asked. “So, are all beastites descendants of the druids or something? Are we all like you? Human?”
Ashera, shocked by this wondered how Suntiana had found this information. She didn’t want to brush Suntiana off this time. The truth was she didn’t have an answer for Suntiana, only a theory and even that was a very loosely put together theory.
“I don’t have an answer to that question Suntiana,” Ashera began, “all I have is a theory. I believe when the ancient elves cast their magic designed to exterminate the humans something happened. I theorise that some of the druids who had been in their human forms died like all the civilians and other casualties who weren’t protected by my spell. Those who remained in their mixed forms decided to stay that way because on a genetic level the magic changed them just enough to not be human. This is due to the beast soul you keep asking me about. Druids make a pact with a beast soul of their ancestors; this is what gave them the ability to change shapes. So, to answer your second question I don’t think any of you beastites… really that’s the name the elves gave to your people?... so unoriginal… anyway I don’t think you can turn back into being human your genetics are too far removed from the human form now. This isn’t to say your clans have changed but your ability to change shape has been lost.”
Suntiana hadn’t considered this having been a response to the spell cast by the elves all those years in the past. Now she was filled with more questions. How had the elves subjected all the druids? Why if there were so many of them had they fallen to the elves so easily? She knew that Ashera wouldn’t have those answers. She would have to find them elsewhere.
***
Six months’ time passed, and the group was beginning to look like an army. Everyone's training had been going so well Ashera upped the intensity on them all. She started to cross train specific groups. Now everyone's training revolved on a three-day schedule. One day spent on their initial training and two days spent on their cross training.
The combat course was given training in the survivalist course, the survivalists were trained in how to dismantle magical traps, reconnaissance was trained in combat and those who could already dismantle magical traps were trained in reconnaissance.
Those who could use magic were at the point now where they didn’t have to stand there casting the spell. It was beginning to become second nature for them. They were encouraged to branch out as well into different spell types. Though if they wished to specialize for now Ashera wasn’t going to force the matter.
Tyrnal who had been specializing in casting enhancement magic on others and supporting with shields decided to continue specializing in support. Thanks to Suntiana’s discovery in the database he began to learn enchanting. He was learning how to use runes to imbue different items with different spells making it so non magic users had access to some spells. He focused on putting spells for shielding and enhancing in items like rings, necklaces and other jewellery. He focused on putting spells for increasing speed and stealth on pants and boots. He didn’t want to do more than that as it was already a daunting task.
Suntiana focused on learning the other druid magic besides shapeshifting. She had tried to shapeshift but found it to be a cumbersome and ritual heavy spell. She learned how to manipulate plants to increase how quickly they grew, making them more sentient so they could be used for offensive and defensive purposes and on how to communicate with animals. She figured even though these skills might not help out on the island too much they would be of benefit once they reached the mainland.
Ashera watched all their growth with amazement. In nine months, these prisoners, these elven slaves had learned how to master skills they had only been accused of having before now. This group of misfits and wrongfully accused were shaping up to be an army. Ashera wanted to do something to reward all their hard work. She went into the personnel's personal storage lockers that had been moved down to the level of the building to make room for the group and their training. She went rummaging through her locker to see if the movies she had brought were still there. To her confusion they weren’t. After a long pause and some careful reflection, she remembered she had lent them to her commanding officer John.
She didn’t like the idea of going through his quarters as he was a bit of a hound, and she didn’t know what she might find. Ashera headed up to John's quarters which was on a floor above the garden that was now being used for training. She opened the door and was immediately met with the smell of death. On the bed was a skeleton dressed in a commander's uniform. The sheets are stained with the rot from the corpse. She was almost sick at the smell. She looked around the room and saw the whole setup in the room. There was the projector, the disk player and the Blu-Ray disks she had been looking for.
She took the setup as quickly as she could and moved it down to the cafeteria. She waited till all the groups were there from their training and research. The last ones to stroll in were greeted with a blue light being protected on to the wall. Everyone was confused and intrigued. Ashera was always introducing them to new things from the past and the room was abuzz with excitement. Once everyone was there, she started.
“You have all been working so hard over these past nine months. I wanted to give you something special.” Ashera said, while motioning to the light on the wall. “I am going to play you a movie, a moving picture from my time that I think you will like. A moving picture was something we used to have to help us relax. I hope you enjoy it.”
She turned the Blu-Ray player on, and the projector sprang to life. The movie started to play on the wall. This brought a murmuring through the group as they looked on in awe. As the group watched on, they became enthralled in the experience they quieted down. The group laughed, cried out in frustration and experienced a whole host of emotions as the movie went on. At the end of the movie, they were talking about how these needed to be brought back and they wondered why the elves had gotten rid of them.
Ashera walked up to the projector and asked, “Would anyone like to watch another?”
The room roared with excitement. They watched movies late into the night and the group got more excited with each film. Ashera was glad to see everyone enjoying themselves and relaxing. She was going to make the tasks they had for training more precise and more difficult starting tomorrow, but for tonight they relaxed.
The next day she began to train Suntiana and the other magic users in leadership skills. She brought members from all the different groups together to work under each of them. She assigned Xix’s group as recon and survival primarily with a couple from the warrior group as protection. Ashera assigned Suntiana to a group of warriors specializing in long range tactics, though she was sure Suntiana would make them proficient in healing instead. Lyna and Rothars groups were primarily defensive units specializing in up close tactics. Tyrnal oversaw support, running information between the other groups and divvying up supplies as needed along with maintaining and producing enchantments for the other groups. Seises was assigned a group that specializes in assassination and espionage. Sumal was assigned a group of warriors to protect him and the other Badgerites during their construction projects or rather deconstruction projects. This would be their training groups for the next three months.
***
It had been a full year now and Ashera felt confident this group could take the island from the guards. She hoped that after they could make it back to the mainland. Now the real challenge would begin, and she hoped all her new allies would make it through.
Ashera gathered the group and began, “Now that you can all use different magic and skills. From raw combat power to stealth and reconnaissance. I want to put you each in charge of a group and have them assist you in the missions we are going to do to get off this island. How do you feel about leading different groups?”
Confident from their training Suntiana replied, “I think I can speak for everyone here when I say we are ready to begin taking this island.”
“Good, because the hard part is going to be getting myself and Artemis into the tower. I think our best option will be to get caught after we get some other objectives underway. The two of us will not be able to use magic until we want to get caught. Otherwise, we paint a target on ourselves too soon and none of the rest of you should use magic period. Unless you can guarantee no one is around.” Ashera explained. “First, we need to get the unstoppable Badgerites working on getting under the city wall. To this end we need to keep the attention off the woods and on the other side of the city. To do this I was thinking we could use the rantoru. We should expose their den to some of the dead to guide them to the city. It should keep the guards busy. I want Rothar and Lyna to take care of getting the rantoru riled up. Take a few of our members with you if you think it will help. Sumal and his group will make a tunnel into the city connecting to the tower. I think Xix and her group should work on taking the dock. Have them take out the guards and replace them. We will funnel any new arrivals that will work with us into the base for training and the others we will have to imprison until it’s all over. Any objections or concerns?”
The group looked around and seemed to agree. Artemis spoke up, “No, I think we are clear on what needs to happen. Are the rest of us just to continue running drills here on standby?”
Ashera nodded in agreement with what Artemis had said. “Yes, we will send out runners from Tyrnals group to keep tabs on everyone and assign additional duties based on their intel.”
With that the group went their separate ways. Ashera led the groups going to the surface through the building to the door that would lead to the roof. She moved out of the way and let the Badgerites get to work digging the little bit of a tunnel from the roof to the surface. Ashera let the groups out one at a time, fortunately it was night so they could go out without much risk of being detected. Once everyone was out, she used some of her magic to put up an illusionary wall that looked like nothing had changed. Then she shut the door and went back to the other groups.
