*Kryzen*
“Now that you’re all ward up, we will begin your first day of combat training!”
Roy’s voice carried over the crowd of soldiers. It was going to be no easy feat to lead a class this large. Many of them had issues with the stretching exercises, obviously not very coordinated. I didn’t expect to have to go around and guide people in the correct forms to do so basic stretches, but that was exactly what happened.
The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, and so of our soldiers were already winded from the light jog down the beach that Roy and I led. That wasn’t a great sign. Hopefully, the next few weeks would be enough ti to build up decent endurance for those who were not used to physical activity.
I heard so exclamations down the beach and glanced over at the group of royal guards King Rhys sent. We had over a couple dozen of them, which gave more confidence. Since they all had gone through advanced combat training, they were training on their own. That gave Roy and I less people to worry about.
“Roy and I will demonstrate so basic forms and techniques for you all,” I said to the group. I gestured for Roy to fall into a basic stance. He did so with a small smirk on his face. “Once we’re through demonstrating, we will have you all get into pairs to practice what you’ve seen.”
I fell into a fighting stance and didn’t even give my best friend ti to react as I lunged, partially to tease him but also to demonstrate to our audience that they needed to be quick and focused during a fight.
Roy was ready for though, but his eyes did widen slightly at my speed. He blocked with just barely enough ti.
“Perhaps we should bring it down to a beginner level, Stormfall,” he quipped, but one corner of his lips went up.
I shrugged. “Thought we should make it realistic for them,” I explained.
He was right, so I slowed down the pace. I could feel the anticipation from our soldiers as Roy and I shifted our weight into another fighting stance. This was the group’s first real taste of combat training, and I knew they were eager to learn.
I made sure to stop once in a while during our spar to explain what I was doing. Roy was shooting a series of swift strikes at , each move fluid and controlled. I matched his attacks, demonstrating defensive maneuvers that would be vital against an enemy.
“You see how I blocked Roy’s attack just now and then offered a counter?” I asked the crowd, stepping away from Roy for a mont to redo the move I had just done, shifting my wait and swinging my arm to mimic blocking an incoming blow. “Be sure to keep your center of gravity. Don’t allow yourself to be tipped over. You’re much more vulnerable if you’re not on your feet.”
That gave an idea. I sped up the strikes, forcing Roy to take a couple of steps back. His blue eyes widened in confusion for a half-second but then glinted in understanding as he put together my words and actions.
“Are you trying to sweep off my feet, Kryzen?” he asked just a bit mockingly, but his tone was teasing as well.
I chuckled. “Better you than ,” I told him, dragging my heel across the sand.
Roy was too quick and backed away before I could literally sweep him off his feet. “I disagree,” he said, straightening before falling into another aggressive stance. “I feel like I’m the better romantic. I should be the one to sweep you off your feet.”
I shook my head in amusent, sidestepping as Roy practically flew at . I countered with another swift kick toward his legs, which he neatly dodged. We went back and forth like this for a few minutes, trading punches and kicks. This spar was becoming less casual, both of us trying to one-up the other.
Our audience had gone still, clearly concentrating hard on our fast-paced movents. We had originally planned to go slow, but I figured a demonstration of a true sparring session would benefit them more than a slowed-down version. Roy obviously agreed with since he was sparring just as hard as .
I gestured toward my feet with my eyes, and Roy understood imdiately, sweeping his foot in an arc. I purposefully allowed it to collide with mine and maneuvered myself as I fell so that the impact wouldn’t be hard on my body. Roy’s fist imdiately ca toward my face. He paused and turned toward the group, his fist still inches from my face.
“See how vulnerable Kryzen is now that he’s on the ground?” he asked. “It’s important that you don’t underestimate how dangerous this can be. These enemies will take advantage of any vulnerability and weakness you show. Do not give them that chance.”
A murmur of understanding and a bit of wariness rose up over the crowd. I stood up and straightened, dusting off my clothes. “Alright, now it’s your turn,” I told the group. “Find a partner and practice what you’ve seen. And rember that the key here is repetition. You might not improve much today, but I assure you that you’ll be much better in a couple of weeks if you practice consistently.”
Roy and I watched as the soldiers began pairing off. So did so excitedly, while others seed much more uncertain. The two of us split off so that we could cover more ground as we went around to offer guidance and advice to those who were struggling.
“Keep one foot in front of the other,” I told one guy. “You’ll have better balance that way.” I watched as the guy obeyed, shifting so that he was in a much more acceptable stance.
I was thankful that the majority of the fighters seed to be sowhat versed in physical activity. They obviously weren’t used to sparring, but they were able to catch on to the basic forms fairly quickly. So of them were definitely struggling with the basics, but I knew that with ti and dedication, they would improve imnsely.
It was too bad we didn’t have a ton of ti.
As our new recruits practiced ssily, I still couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. In a way, I felt as if I was answering my calling. I never thought of myself as a teacher of any kind, but I felt satisfaction as I watched the n and won learn.
I felt a sense of responsibility as well that sat heavily on my shoulders. These recruits were the future defenders of Embervale. Roy and I had to ensure that they were prepared for whatever dangers lay ahead of us.
I wiped so sweat off my brow as I headed down the beach. We were taking an hour-long break for lunch, and I decided to find my mate. She likely wouldn’t rember to eat if she was as preoccupied with training as I imagined.
It took a while to find the group of won she was with. They were standing out in the ocean. Briella had her arms out in front of her, creating waves around her feet. Arista, the daughter of the Astral Haven Alpha, was standing beside her, talking quietly as if coaching her.
I thought about calling out to them but found myself content with watching my mate for a mont. She looked like a goddess of the sea with her dark wavy hair spilling down her shoulders, so loose strands being toyed with by the gentle sea breeze. The crystal blue water brought out the green in her eyes. She looked absolutely radiant.
I frowned in concern when I noticed Briella’s shoulders sag as if she was discouraged. Arista patted her shoulder reassuringly before looking up and noticing . She grinned and waved before nudging Briella and gesturing over at .
My heart ward when Briella smiled widely at . She said sothing to Arista before bounding over to . I opened my arms when she got close and chuckled lightly when she flew into them. I kissed the top of her head. “Ready for lunch?” I asked.
Briella nodded, and I took her hand before leading her away from the water.
“We’ll likely be outnumbered during the battle, but we have quite a few powerful n and won who can wield magic,” Briella told before taking a bit out of her sandwich.
I nodded. We were sitting together on a large flat rock, watching the waves crawl up onto the sand over and over. “They’ll just need to learn how to use their gifts during combat,” I said thoughtfully. “We’ll have to work with them more to find their strengths that can be used for fighting.”
“I’ll work with them,” Briella promised. She stopped eating suddenly and set her sandwich down.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. I couldn’t help but scold her a little bit. “You should try to eat a lot with the amount of training we’re doing.”
Briella didn’t move to pick up the sandwich, glancing up at with large, worried eyes. “Have you thought about the possibility of us fighting Tian specifically?”
I reeled at the sudden dark change in topic. I felt my eyes narrow at the ntion of the bastard who had caused all of this turmoil. “Of course, I have,” I told her gently. “And we should have a plan against him. He’s controlling all those people and animals we saw down there. If we take him down, he could very well lose control over them.”
Briella looked down, averting her gaze from mine, and bit her lip. “Do you think it’s possible to save all of those people and companions if we destroy Tian?” she finally asked, her voice slightly shaky.
I set down my own lunch and put a comforting arm around Briella’s shoulders. It was obvious that she was thinking about the woman she had failed to save at the Celestial City ball. I gave her a squeeze, hating that she was still harboring guilt from that dark night.
“I don’t know,” I told her honestly. “But I do know that we are going to try our best. It might sound harsh, but our priorities aren’t those that Tian has already captured. We’re protecting our friends and families.”
Briella knew I was right. It was clear in the way her shoulders fell with dejection. She then straightened so suddenly that it nearly caused to fall off the rock we had been occupying.
Briella laughed and put an arm behind my back to steady . “Sorry,” she said with a light giggle. Her face fell again. “You’re right. I have to keep moving forward.”
“You do,” I agreed. I gently cradled her face in my hands, marveling at how small she was. My fingers spanned the entire sides of her face. I pressed my forehead gently to hers. “We’re going to protect our loved ones, Briella. That’s why we’re here, to prepare and be ready to defeat Tian. He’s going to pay for all those he’s already hard.”
I spoke with such conviction that she did seem to believe . I felt her relax against . “Together,” she told firmly.
I nodded, dropping my lips to hers. “Together,” I confird once we pulled apart.
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