Chapter 60: Chapter 55 – Harsh Lessons, Tough Love

Note: For best atmosphere, read the last scene of this chapter with playing in the background. :D

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"Many had thought that rivalry was aflame between Levain, city of academia, and Paradise, city of wonders. Those rumors could not be further from the truth, for we all are but pursuers of the endless knowledge that remains to be discovered before us." - Garth Wainwrought, during his acceptance speech when he was named the new Dean of the Levain Institute of Higher Learning.

 

"Your instincts are functional. Good." Cal stated bluntly at the three youngsters before her. "First things first… You, come at me."

 

"Err…Me, miss?" Asked Ognar as he was somewhat caught off guard.

 

"Yes. You. Attack me as best you can. Bring out every trick you can think of. Hold nothing back." Commanded Cal with an authoritative tone. Some of the students further away turned to look their way out of curiosity.

 

"Uhh… okay. Here I come!"

 

Ognar took a deep breath, and allowed his magic to course through his body. He gave a deep, loud animalistic bellow as he felt magic permeate through his muscles, as it granted him strength and endurance far beyond what he could normally do. His hands gripped his two-handed warhammer tightly, and he charged at Cal with a leap, his weapon brought down in a mighty diagonal arc aimed at the center of her mass.

 

As the young half-orc charged at her, Cal had not even circulated her magic, and merely eyed the youngster clinically as he came. Her body twisted to the left, and she pushed away Ognar's weapon with the palm of her left hand, as her right arm bent and she rammed her elbow straight into the youngster's solar plexus. The momentum of his charge basically had Ognar skewer himself on Cal's elbow, and he dropped to the ground as he clutched his abdomen. Ognar only barely managed to stop himself from vomiting his lunch all over the place.

 

"You have fallen for the most common mistake young blood mages made." Stated Cal coldly as she stood over the young half-orc. "You paid no attention to defense, likely in the belief that your body will endure whatever comes your way. This is the reason so many blood mages found their lives cut short."

 

"Go recuperate on the side for a bit. I'll get into more detail after I see what your friends have in them.She said as she handed the half-orc his warhammer back. Her finger pointed at Giselle as she said her next words. "You're next. Come."

 

Giselle drew both her rapier and dagger from their sheaths, and channeled her magic through her body, with extra focus on her legs. Unlike Ognar, she had not charged straight at Cal, and instead chose to circle the woman with fast steps that made it look as if she flickered from place to place. She dashed in to attack after she rapidly flickered from Cal's left to her right, her rapier pointed straight for the throat.

 

Whatever the young girl expected, she most definitely had not expected Cal to just calmly push her rapier aside with the palm of her hand. She was further caught by surprise when Cal pinched the narrow blade between her palm and her fingertips, then yanked Giselle off her feet with a single motion

 

Even in mid-flight, Giselle had the presence of mind to at least attempt a last ditch attack, as she stabbed at Cal with her dagger. She found herself stymied however, as Cal's hand gripped her wrist like an iron vice and quickly twisted her arm behind her back, before a swift kick behind the knee brought her down. Cal then pressed her down and prevented the girl from rising.

 

"Better. Specialization in speed and agility, and attempting to use your empowerment to not get hit in the first place is a more feasible style." Commented Cal as she released her grip and allowed the young girl to rise. Humbled, Giselle bowed in submission and sheathed her weapons, before she gingerly massaged her left arm with her right. "I know some tricks that you can definitely make good use of, but let's first see what your friend can do."

 

"My turn?" Asked Willa. The half-therian girl sounded positively eager, and a wolfish grin adorned her maw.

 

"Your turn. What weapon do you use?" Cal asked as the half-therian girl was the only one that had not carried her weapon in plain sight.

 

"I use these." Willa said as she reached behind her back and pulled out her weapons. When she brought them out, Cal saw that the girl used what looked like a gauntlet combined with a punch-dagger, except they had three curved blades that extended from each gauntlet, arranged to look like a beast's claw.

 

Willa howled like a wolf as she charged her magic, and rushed at Cal straightforwardly. As she was clad in heavy armor, she was nowhere as fast or agile as her two fellow students, yet even so, her empowered body rushed with speeds that still exceeded what most trained soldiers would be capable of. She brought her claw-gauntlets around in a crossed slash as she reached Cal.

 

Cal dodged it with a simple step to the back, and when Willa thrust her right gauntlet in another attempt, she snatched the girl's gauntleted forearm with both hands, and spun around as she threw the girl over her shoulder. Willa landed with a loud smash on the hard ground, her breath knocked out of her, and even after Cal released her arm, only started to get up a couple minutes later.

 

"Oooowie…" Complained the half-therian girl as she gathered herself. "That hurt. Lots."

 

"Using heavier armor to take advantage of your empowered state is also a valid method, arguably the safer one too until you grow stronger." Cal said as she helped the girl up. "You will need to learn how to better control your own momentum, however."

 

"You three can rest for a while. I'll get some aid for the first stage of your training." Cal said after she checked the three student's condition and carefully probed them. Of the three, she would guess that Willa has the most potential, but it was quite close.

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Cal let the students rest and chat with one another as she approached Vark, who had made practice targets for other students to train projectile magic on.

 

"How's it going?" He asked when he noticed her approach.

 

"I can work with them. Can you make an obstacle course around the perimeter of this clearing? I could use one to condition their bodies."

 

"Easy enough. I'll have it readied in five minutes." Said Vark with a smile. "Anything else?"

 

"Would be great if I could borrow like ten of your students. Ones that are good with projected evocation ideally." Cal said. "I need to light a fire under those kids' butts. Somewhat literally."

 

"Hah! Pretty sure I can arrange that. I'll pick them out for you after I got the course ready." Replied Vark with a guffaw. "Some live practice with moving targets would do my students good."

 

"Exactly my intention." Cal said as she grinned.

 

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Ten minutes later.

 

Ognar, Giselle, and Willa looked at one another, and collectively gulped as they eyed the massive obstacle course that now ringed the clearing. That a dozen of their fellow classmates were stationed at various points near the course gave them a bad feeling. A feeling only amplified when they saw the giddy, excited looks on their classmates' faces.

 

"Now, boys and girls." Cal said without preamble. "The first step to your training will be to condition your bodies to the rigors of combat. To that purpose, all three of you will run this course at your maximum speed, until you can run no more."

 

"And in case you thought of running at less than your best…" She added, as she allowed her words to hang ominously. "Your fellow classmates all around the course have orders to light your asses on fire. Or ice it. Literally."

 

The three youngsters collectively gulped as they heard that, and their worries were amplified when Leila - who was stationed nearest to them - turned their way with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face.

 

"So I recommend that you start running as if your life depended on it." Cal said with a smirk as she gave a sign. "And I mean now!"

 

At her sign, Vark created three spikes of stone that aimed for the youngster's buttocks, which made them yelp in surprise as they jumped forward to avoid it. That was when they noticed that as the first spike retracted, more kept chasing after them as they ran through the course as fast as they could.

 

As they passed by, their stationed classmates launched magical projectiles of every sort which made their lives more difficult, as now they had to evade the multitudes of attacks while they ran from the spikes that still chased after them.

 

Cal followed them from the outside perimeter of the course, her pace kept at a leisurely walk that nonetheless allowed her to keep up with the students' desperate run, as she bluntly pointed out mistakes they made as they ran.

 

True to her words, the training continued until the three youngsters dropped from exhaustion and mana overuse.

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