Chapter 7: Hard Training
Several weeks passed.
Every day, Shen and his friends trained relentlessly.
Running.
Sword practice.
Magic control.
Combat drills.
Then more running.
And somehow... even more running.
Shen was beginning to suspect that the Commander secretly hated legs.
One afternoon, Shen collapsed onto the training ground.
"I'm dying..."
Kenya looked down at him.
"You said that yesterday."
"I was dying yesterday too."
Eliz sighed.
"You're still talking. You're fine."
Ruke nodded.
"Unfortunately."
"Hey!"
The group laughed.
Despite all their training, something continued to bother Shen.
They had never fought a real Arcane.
Not once.
No missions.
No dangerous battles.
Nothing.
Just training.
Training.
And more training.
That evening, the four trainees sat in the dining hall among dozens of Arcane Drifters. The older warriors laughed and shared stories about their adventures.
Shen listened carefully.
One Arcane Drifter was talking about fighting a giant monster.
Another had apparently survived an exploding mountain.
A third claimed he punched an Arcane so hard that it forgot its own name.
Shen immediately stood up.
"I want to fight Arcanes."
The dining hall became silent.
Every eye turned toward him.
The Commander slowly looked up from his meal.
"You what?"
"We're ready."
Kenya nodded.
"Agreed."
Eliz hesitated before nodding as well.
Ruke kept eating.
The Commander raised an eyebrow.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
"Strong enough?"
"Definitely."
The Commander stared at them for several seconds.
Then he smiled.
The smile worried Shen.
Whenever adults smiled like that, something terrible usually followed.
"Fine."
Shen blinked.
"Really?"
"Tomorrow you'll fight an Arcane."
The table froze.
"...What?"
The Commander continued eating.
"You wanted a mission."
Shen immediately sat down.
"Actually, I think training is pretty fun."
The Commander ignored him.
Kenya laughed.
"Too late."
Shen pointed at her.
"Traitor."
"You volunteered first."
"Details."
The Commander wiped his mouth and stood.
"I'll make things easier."
Everyone listened carefully.
"You can fight as a team."
Shen instantly nodded.
"Perfect."
He turned toward his friends.
"Everyone's joining, right?"
"Of course," Kenya replied.
"I'm in," Eliz said.
Then all eyes moved toward Ruke.
"No."
Silence.
Shen nearly fell out of his chair.
"What do you mean, no?!"
Ruke folded his arms.
"I'm not fighting an Arcane."
"Why?"
"Because unlike you, I have survival instincts."
"Come on!"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"We'll probably survive."
"Probably?"
Kenya suddenly smiled.
"Don't worry, Shen."
Shen looked at her.
"If Ruke doesn't want to come, that's fine."
Ruke nodded.
"Exactly."
Kenya leaned back.
"After all, fighting fear is what real Arcane Drifters do."
Ruke froze.
"...What?"
"Nothing."
"Say that again."
Kenya grinned.
"I said fighting fear is what real Arcane Drifters do."
Ruke immediately stood up.
"Who said I'm afraid?"
Nobody answered.
Because everyone knew he had just answered his own question.
Ruke pointed accusingly at Kenya.
"You tricked me."
Shen pointed at him.
"Got him."
"You planned this!"
"Absolutely."
Ruke groaned.
"I hate all of you."
Eliz smiled.
"No, you don't."
"You're right."
The Commander watched the entire exchange while trying not to laugh.
Finally, he cleared his throat.
"Since you've accepted the mission, meet me at dawn."
Shen raised his hand.
"Can I ask one question?"
"Yes."
"How strong is the Arcane?"
The Commander thought for a moment.
Then he answered honestly.
"Strong enough."
Shen immediately regretted asking.
The older Arcane Drifters burst into laughter.
One of them even started writing what looked suspiciously like a farewell letter for Shen.
"Why is he writing that?!"
"Ignore him."
"I don't think I should!"
The Commander turned and walked toward the exit.
"Get some rest."
"Tomorrow will be interesting."
As the Commander left, the four trainees exchanged nervous glances.
Tomorrow would be their first real mission.
Their first real Arcane.
And judging by the Commander's smile...
Nothing was going to go according to plan.
To Be Continued...