They continued their training for an entire week. On day two, they learned more of the basics from their individual masters, and they progressed significantly throughout the week. A few hours into their second day, they were joined by other teenagers from the groups they had seen at the inn. Each afternoon, they returned to town exhausted, but not alone.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “Our job is to provide the big boom. We aren’t there to be hit by whatever the party is fighting; we deliver the big punch from afar. We’re what you would term ‘squishy’—we get hit, and we hurt very easily. This term I learned from one of my students long ago. But all in all, this word describes what would happen to us if we were directly attacked. That’s why we work with a party: the tank takes the hits, the healer keeps them alive, and we inflict major damage on the enemy.” Master Gerasin had demonstrated some spells, but Josh was still struggling. Some of the others were quickly catching up to him; a very short girl with blonde hair had not only caught up but her spellwork was astonishing everyone, including Master Gerasin.

  Master Gerasin walked around, talking to the various students and offering encouragement. She corrected those who were having problems, eventually making her way to Josh, who was still struggling.

  “It’s hard, Master. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.” He waved his wand at the target and cast Fireball. All that resulted were small sparkles—no big boom. This was followed by Ice Bolt and Thunder Bolt; while the color of the sparks differed with each spell, the effect was the same: only small sparks.

  “It seems you lack confidence in yourself. When you came to me two days ago, you seemed so sure of yourself. Just continue to practice; you will get it. Think of your friends—imagine they are in danger—and try again.”

  And so, he imagined they were fighting something terrible. What would he do? He waved his wand again and cast Fireball. This time it was better. While it was still a small ball of fire, it was no longer just little sparkles. He concentrated, and after many tries, his Fireball spell looked as if it could actually do some damage.

  He still had a way to go, but he felt his goal was clearer now. He understood why he was doing this and how he could improve.

  “That is much better, Josh. Just be confident; know that you’re protecting your party. The faster the enemy goes down, the better. Let me show you how it should look—there are various levels, and this is at the same level as yours.” She raised her hands, pointed them at a hanging target, and cast Fireball! In comparison to Josh’s, this was a supernova; it blasted the target and burned it to a crisp. “This is what you will be able to do, Josh. Do you think it looked like this when I started?” This took her back to her first day of training and trying to master even this simple spell.

  “I will continue to practice, Master. Now that I see your example, I have a goal.” He continued his practice, determined to master the spell. It might not look like his master’s just yet, but one day…

  The others around them watched each other and saw that they all had different strengths and weaknesses. One student had an easier time with Fireball, another with Thunder Bolt, and yet another with Ice Bolt. The blonde girl caught on quickly, and her specialty was Ice Bolt. She hurled one at the target, and it instantly froze.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Bobby pointed the staff and cast Revitalize and Cleanse. He had improved drastically over the past few days and was enjoying these new abilities. They were so useful, and he would be able to keep his friends safe.

  The group had grown to ten students, and they had been split into pairs, each casting—or trying to cast—a healing spell on their partner. Bobby had been paired with a tall, lanky teenager who wore glasses and was a year older than him. They had been practicing on each other for most of the morning and part of the afternoon.

  “Well done. But you must keep an eye on your mana. You don’t want to run out during a fight. It’s important to know when to use a spell, on whom, and whether it’s the right spell to use. Magic isn’t always the answer; you also have your potions. They can restore health and mana and even boost your stats, so your party must know when to use them.” Mother Pearl paused, looking around at her students.

  “Gear is important. Your starter gear is just that—starter gear—with no stat increases or bonuses. Once you begin your journey, you can improve your gear, and depending on the situation, some gear might be more effective than others. You must optimize your equipment for the right circumstances. Some of this I won’t be able to teach you; only experience can.” She paused again to let her words sink in.

  “As your teacher, I can only prepare you. Heed my words and these lessons, for they could mean your survival and that of your party.” Mother Pearl sat in a chair beneath one of her trees, explaining that in her old age, she needed to sit more often. But Bobby had seen her move as if she were much younger.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Master Corvey was an astounding man; his stature did not impede him at all. He demonstrated this throughout the training he put his group through. They spent time on breathing—just breathing—then on stances, maintaining the same pose for hours alongside their master. He drilled the moves so thoroughly into their heads that they began to dream about them. At the end of each day, their bodies ached, not because their master had beaten them, but from the rigorous training they had undergone.

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  There were various weapons a tank could use, not just the standard sword and shield. A warrior could wield maces, swords, as well as two-handed versions when not paired with a shield. When using two-handed weapons, the fighting style shifted to compensate for the lack of a shield. It was a bit overwhelming for Manuel to try to remember all the different moves. For now, he would stick with the ever-popular sword and shield; one couldn’t go wrong with the classics.

  “All of this I will drill into your heads and bodies, but the true test is remembering it in the field and adjusting as needed. You are the front line for your party, and while it’s alright to let some of the enemy pass you, you must know when to do this. Let’s see your Taunt I.” Master Corvey stood ready.

  “Here I go!” Manuel prepared himself and struck his sword against his shield. “Taunt I!” A subtle change was visible in the teacher, but it was minor; he simply stood his ground.

  “That was good; it almost worked on me. Someone with less experience would most definitely take the bait. Now, show me some defense.”

  Reinforce Wall! A shimmer appeared in front of Manuel; to those who could perceive it, an illusory wall had been erected. This move greatly increased his defensive capabilities.

  “Not bad. It’s as if your house of sticks has become a house of bricks—not as easily tumbled. With further practice and experience, this can become a house of steel. You are progressing very well.” Nodding in approval, he slightly adjusted Manuel’s stance.

  “Breathing exercises again.” The students groaned and assumed the breathing stance and began.

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  “Your whole body can be a weapon—your hands, feet, your head, especially your head. It isn’t just there to hold that pink thing inside your skull. You use it all. Don’t just depend on what you carry; think about what you are going to do—always have a plan. If things go wrong, be ready to improvise. In the end, if you are left standing, you win.” This made sense to the group, but without someone pointing it out, they never would have thought about it. Why would they? They came from a place where they didn’t have to worry about these kinds of things. Most of them had parents who did everything for them.

  With that nugget of wisdom, their master launched into a whirlwind of punches and kicks to demonstrate what he had just said. Then out came his daggers—one held forward, the other backward—his feet firmly planted and his body low. He then moved in a fluid, deadly dance, slashing right, left, up, and down, each movement designed to inflict damage. It was a beautiful sight. Then he stepped back, and he was gone. Pepe was sure he hadn’t blinked—at least he didn’t think so. Then he felt the blade at his back. “We are of the shadows, chavalo. Never forget that.”

  The watching group erupted in cheers at their master’s display. The group, now fourteen strong, continued their training, some practicing alone, others in pairs. A sense of competition had also developed among the students—who would be the best?

  Pepe was paired with the girl in the cheerleader outfit he’d seen at the inn. She looked at him and nodded. She moved quickly, and before he knew it, Pepe found himself on the ground with a dagger at his throat. If this had been a real fight, he would have been dead.

  “You’re dead, Pepe.” She smiled down at him, offering her hand to help him up. She was strikingly pretty, and he smiled back. She had small dimples when she smiled, and her hair was a fiery red and curly.

  “Thank you, Michelle. I think I can see that,” he said. He got up with her help, and they reset for another round.

  Pepe went down again and again, managing only a few points or takedowns. But that was the problem, Pepe realized. It wasn’t that she wasn’t capable—she was thoroughly beating him. It was that she was a pretty girl, and he was letting her looks distract him. It was stupid, he knew, and he needed to get over it quickly.

  When paired with one of the other boys, it was easy. He had a day more of training than they did, and he was able to defeat them almost every time, barely letting them score a point.

  Michelle stopped and frowned. She had seen him practice and had seen him easily defeat the other boys, so she knew what the problem was. “Pepe, if you keep holding back because I’m a girl, I’m going to kick your ass up and down this room,” she said. “Don’t let this pretty face stop you!”

  The rest of the class had stopped and was now watching them. Master Corta looked at his pupils and shook his head. “Everyone, back to your practice!”

  Pepe’s face flushed red, and he nodded at his training partner. He took his training seriously after that. What other choice did he have? While she defeated him quite often, it wasn’t because he was letting her win; she was simply that good.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Erin, wearing his green cloak, looked down at the area behind his master’s house. It was a wooded area, and he had climbed a tree to get a better vantage point. He scanned his surroundings, his bow at the ready. His task was to spot his master and shoot her if he could. She had gone ahead of him, disappearing into the woods. He looked left, then right, but saw nothing. There weren’t many places where someone could conceal themselves.

  He heard the snap of a twig and turned toward the sound—at least, he thought he turned in the right direction. Instead of his master, a small animal emerged from behind a bush. His master wouldn’t make that kind of mistake. He continued his search, looking up at the sparse trees surrounding the area. She could easily hide in one of them. While climbing them wasn’t terribly difficult for him, it would have been even easier for her.

  “You know what, my young apprentice? While it was a good attempt, we may run out of time if we continue.” The voice came from his left. A figure detached itself from the tree right next to his branch. When had she gotten there? He hadn’t heard her climb the tree. The students erupted in applause at their master’s skill.

  “Master, how?” He had seen her walk into the woods not far from the tree he was in.

  “We are rangers; we must become one with our environment. Where we walk, no sound will be heard, and no trace will be left of our passing. We can surprise our adversaries or bypass them entirely; we don’t always need to fight.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and nodded. “You will know when to do one or the other.”

  The other students had overheard this, as it was intended for the group as a whole. They, like Erin, were amazed and confused, as none of them had seen Master Ildvesi return after entering the forest.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Their training had come to an end—at least to the point where they could venture out on their own as a party. Five days of rigorous training with their respective masters had ingrained a great deal into their inexperienced minds. They would need to return to their masters once they had gained some experience, but for now, they were finished.

  They walked back in larger groups now. Not all of them got along; they were forming their own smaller groups, and some didn’t speak to others. It was human nature to form cliques and, unfortunately, to shun or ignore others. Josh and his group were welcoming to everyone, and they often walked with other people joining them. They arrived back at the inn, ready for bed; it had been a long week.

  That night, they discussed their plans for the following day. “We collect on the quest tomorrow and see what else they’ve got for us,” Josh said, yawning and his eyes closing.

  The others nodded in agreement, having no energy to talk.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “Regi, how are they coming along?” While he had checked on them earlier in the week, it was now the end of their training, and he was eager to find out how they had progressed.

  “Master, the initial group, while they had some initial problems, seems to be on track. And we have some surprises among the other groups as well. Some of them are quite strong—even stronger than the initial group.”

  “Are we ready to debut the first dungeons?” He didn’t really want to put them through it, but he needed them to advance quickly, and this was how he would do it. These dungeons were his creations, but the ones after these would be naturally occurring.

  “Yes, sir. The dungeon team is ready for a demonstration whenever you are.”

  “Good, good. Please set something up; the sooner we put this in motion, the better.”