Chapter 22: 21. More Good

We take a short break for lunch, berries, fried pine, and jerky before we get into our afternoon of training. While I am eating, Bones modifies the soup, adding more food to the broth. 

There isn't a clear plan for training, just a general direction. I need more stamina and strength. Which will be solved with physical conditioning. On top of that, I would like for us to be able to hone our skills. That involves practicing forms and sparring with Bones using various weapons. Despite his role as boss, Bones seems content to let me do the leading here.

To start, we do a warm-up run to Lower Forest Camp and back. The distance, being roughly eight miles round trip, will be a good gauge of where I am physically. 

Roughly thirty minutes later, I make it to the river that runs past Lower Forest Camp. 

Bones stayed by my side the entire jog down. However, I am gasping for breath, and he is unfazed. Burning lungs and wheezing breaths are a sure sign that I have a long way to go. At the lower campsite, we take a short break. I drink a little bit of water and do some light stretches. 

Running back to the pond is no easier. I keep telling myself this will be a warm-up run and not as intense in time. As it is now, I'm gasping for air with the intermittent dry heave. Hardly a warm-up. 

We break up the conditioning with weapons training. A nice clearing is just below the steep hill on the other side of the pond, giving us adequate space to train. For me, the most comfortable weapon by far is the sword. It feels natural in my hands, as if it is an extension of my will. Though I don't have any names for them, I find myself running through various sword forms. 

There is what I assume is the base form. Sword held at the ready to attack or defend. Taking a step forward, I bring the sword down in a cutting motion. This is followed by a step back with the sword moving back to the base. 

Left side swing, return to base. Right swing, base. Forward thrust, two steps back, left slash, step forward, right swing, step back, and return to base. I go through the basic motions slowly, getting a natural feel for my actions. Each move is honed and precise.

Feeling my basic movements are near perfect, I start chaining in multiple attacks sparing with my shadow. Downward slash, parry, parry, step, forward stab, back step, base, parry, step forward, right slash, shuffle to the side, left slash, base, step, forward thrust, and back to base. Then repeat in a similar fashion.

Bones is watching, and he joins in when I begin going through the forms again. Though it looks right, his motion is missing much of the footwork. Within a blink, I can assess his technique. Each action he performs is out of an incorrect stance caused by slight missteps. While that has no direct consequences here, in an actual fight, he could be at a severe loss if his opponent notices. 

"Boss, hold up," I interrupt Bones in the middle of a right swing. He freezes, unnaturally still holding his position. "Your footwork is slightly off, leaving you off balance." 

In response, Bones raises his eyebrows in a questioning manner. "I don't feel off balanced, Cap. I feel pretty stable, actually. " 

Rather than trying to explain the issue, I step close to Bones. "You mind if I demonstrate the balance issue, boss? This may knock you to the ground." Bones considers it a moment and then agrees, nodding his head yes. 

With my hand directly in the middle of his chest, I give him a push. Bones doesn't move in the slightest. "As I was saying, Cap, I don't feel off balance." I can just about see his smug grin when I step behind him. This time I use a finger and nudge his back. In direct response, Bones stumbles forward and almost falls to the ground, barely saving himself from the fall with an outstretched arm. 

"Ah. Touché," Bones says as he brushes off the dirt from his hand. Together we go through the forms focusing on foot placement and stances. It doesn't take Bones long to implement the proper steps. With his stance fixed, we can go through the forms in quick succession. 

To finish off sword practice, we end with a few spars. To give Bones a chance, I switch to my off-hand. Fights are still quick. 

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Processing Bone's movement happens in an almost frozen space even though we are moving at full speed. I can process his attacks, feints, steps, and almost his thoughts in a split second. Seeing his attacks before they happen allows me to respond however I want. Defensively or offensively, I'm free to choose my response. Most spars end within the first few moves. After each fight, we analyze what went wrong and how to improve.

Bones takes the instruction and losses in stride. Not once does a grin leave his face. I'm not sure if he is actively holding the mana into a grin or if it is an adjustment he can switch on. Nor does he show frustration when I hound him on the same footing mistakes. I lean towards the active grin theory since his actions match it. After each defeat, he enthusiastically says, "Again," and we start another bout. Towards the end, our fights are lasting longer and longer.

Strengthening and conditioning are done with the remainder of our afternoon. For that, we use the hill. Specifically the steep hill to the left of my den on the other side of the pond. 

We sprint up and down the hill as much as we can. That equals six sprints up and back down with breaks spread out intermittently for me to regain some stamina. Bones' bottomless stamina overshadowed whatever wins I had in the swordplay. By the time I finish my six laps, Bones has already accomplished eight and is showing no signs of slowing. 

Gasping for breath and holding back lunch from making a comeback, I take a small break at the bottom of the hill. My legs are on fire, my back is aching, and I'm sure my lungs are dried out. Hunched over and heaving air, I try to get my body to calm. Once I regain composure, I give the hill one last run. 

The steep incline is doing a number on my calves and feet. I swear there is a shortage of air. No matter how hard I breathe, I can't get enough. Still, not even at a walking pace anymore, I tromp up the hill. 

At the top of the hill, Bones has started strength-focused exercises. Somehow amid the densely overgrown forest, he has found space to do push-ups. I give myself another moment for recovery and then join him with the strengthening. 

My muscles are strained everywhere from the various strengthening exercises. It feels like every muscle has worked from my arms to my legs. As I start a stretch routine, Bones hikes down the hill to prepare dinner. If I'm lucky, maybe some pine biscuits will be prepared to go along with the soup. 

After I finish stretching, I do myself a favor and rinse off. Swimming in the pond is exactly what I need. My body temperature drops to a more manageable level, and all the sweat and grime begin to wash off. I take a few extra laps letting the swimming motions continue to ease my muscle tension before I get back to my schedule.

Back in the cave, I settle down for the night. As exhausted as I am from the day, I'm not ready to sleep. Bones dishes up the soup full of chunky wild edibles, meaty deer jerky, hints of seasoning, and, to my delight, pine biscuits. Surprisingly, the soup is more flavorful than I remember it being. Not only is the soup incredible, adding the harvested berries to the biscuits is a whole new level of deliciousness. I eat my fill of soup and biscuits.

Satisfied with dinner, I move into the next phase, meditation, and cultivation. Bones hasn't left the den to tackle a new task, so I invite him to join. Even though he can't cultivate right now, he can still get limited experience. Besides, that meditation could help progress his physical abilities tremendously. To further help Bones out, I explain to him everything I do before I do it.

Deep in thought, I analyze everything I did today. My memory is sharp, allowing me to accurately assess all my accomplishments. Traps have been set, and food was gathered. Promotions were given, and physical training is a work in progress. 

I analyze the training in more depth, making sure I make good use of the time I've set aside for such activities. I don't just want incremental improvement. I want to be in top physical shape as soon as possible. 

I realize with Bones taking more responsibility gathering food, I'm able to spend less time in the morning gathering and more time training. In fact, I'm planning to make the mornings more of a combination of hunting and training. 

During my cultivation exercises, I try to sense the surrounding energies and my own. No significant discoveries happen tonight. However, I can better perceive the mana flow within and without my body. Pale energy is continually compressed within my core. Even with my active spells, my second core feels much stronger, and I am making progress condensing the mana.

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