A/N: The world was created by our DM, and for further information check out our wiki. The characters and situations belong to members of our DND group. This was collaborative work of myself, and Duff.

I have several other chapters to put up, but currently a group is playing in this campain. If I post the next chapter I'll spoil the surprise of their campain. Once they are done I'll post up the remaining chapters. Please review and enjoy!

Day 1

"Step into the swing, then tuck your foot slight and then pull as you are slicing across." An instructor at the Goddess's Mercy's Temple worked with his trainee's. Most of the trainee's before him were fairly good, but he knew many of them still had an ego problem. The local militia sent those who needed an attitude adjustment to this temple. A few got with the program and accepted the humility and putting yourself before other's, and accepting your flaws part of the training, the rest were power hungry youths that wanted to see how big they were. If they didn't get their heads together they would be dead real fast.

"Why are you running us through these drills again?" A handsome young fighter complained from the other side of the paddock.

"Because you are going to need to know them as second nature when you are in battle, boy" The instructor stayed on the other side of the paddock from the boy. He acknowledged the old man sitting on a crate near by. He didn't mind the old man watching. He stayed out of the way and didn't bother anyone so he left him alone.

"If I see something that needs killed I will kill it quickly. That is all I need to know." Another guy laughed.

"Only fools turn down knowledge, Jared" The instructor warned.

"Day after day you make us do drills and run us all over this city making sure we are fit to carry a sword, but you are teaching us nothing we can't figure out ourselves. "

"If you are going to fight all day in a battle you need the stamina, and patience to keep going."

Jared got out of line and advance toward the trainer. "Until you start teaching us something useful you are not worth my time."

"Until you can prove to me you are worthy of fighting in the Luminarian army you are not leaving this place." The trainer crossed his arms.

"I am better than everyone here, and yet you won't sign my release form. I go to church every day. I say prayers everyday. I do everything you ask of me yet you won't let me go."

"You haven't learned what you need to learn. I won't release you until you do." The trainer glared at the boy before him.

"And what haven't I learned, old man?" He glared back, but wasn't quite as successful. "There is nothing an old washed up fighter can teach me."

At that statement the other trainees started to back away from them. They might be young and brash fools, but they weren't completely stupid.

"The best people to learn from are old fighters, because they survived. Their opponents didn't. Unless you want to loose your rank and position with the army I suggest you get back in line and do as you are told boy."

"I will only do that if you can prove to me that I still have something to learn." He smirked.

Instead off the trainer's voice, an old tired voice spoke, "Deal."

"What?" The trainer turned around to face the old man.

"If I can show the boy he still has things he needs to learn, he will stay in the school until you say he is fit for duty. If I can't, then he is free to leave." The old man stood, leaning on his thick wooden staff.

Jared laughed, "You are a fool old man, but deal. No magic though; you would have an unfair advantage with that."

The trainer leaned over to the old man. "Are you crazy? He is a fully trained fighter. He could kill you."

"To answer your question, yes I am quite mad, and have been told so for a long time; and two he won't kill me because he has yet to learn one important thing."

"Which is?"

"Everything isn't always what it seems." The old man gave the trainer a wicked grin.

The trainer merely nodded, and got out of the way. "Leave me some pieces to put back together."

Jared stood with a long sword, but no shield. "This should take very long old man; show me what you got."

The old man hobbled up to him, "I have nothing to prove; only you do."

Annoyed Jared swung his sword at him, but the old man easily stepped out of the way. When he missed Jared, swung again, and the old man ducked it easily, and went back to leaning on his staff.

For five minutes Jared kept trying to hit him but the old man dodged him. After each swing Jared's temper was getting higher and higher. "Stop moving."

"If I didn't dodge I would be hit, so I must move." The old man said with a cackle.

"Then at least fight back you old coot." Jared snarled as he made a jab for the old man.

Sighing, "Very well, but only because you asked nicely." The old man quit leaning on his staff and made a feeble attempt at a strike, which easily missed.

Seeing a weakness Jared tried to make an attack only to have the sword parried by the staff, then a sharp wrap to his ribs. "Hey!"

"Yes?" The old man looked at him mischievously.

Jared began to wildly swing at him, but each time the old man blocked his swing. By now Jared was sweating profusely, and getting unsteady on his feet from exhaustion. "I'm going to finish this old man."

"You want to end this?" The old man cackled. He looked over to where the trainer was leaning on the fence, and he nodded.

"I want you on the ground bleeding old man." He made a fierce sweep to kill, but was caught mid swipe as the old man brought his staff up to strike his chin with both ends of his staff; knocking him up and back into the dust. He landed on the ground unconscious, and a deep cut on his chin.

"It seems you are the one on the ground my boy. " The old man limped back over to his former perch and sat down.

While the other trainees went to see to the boy the trainer went to speak to the old man. "Who are you?"

The old man looked up into the man's face. "An old man who has seen and done too much. I only want a place to rest, and watch how other's live."

The trainer nodded. He too had seen too much in his life. He could understand the man before him. "You are free to visit all you like. If you have suggestions give it to me and I'll see to it that they get it. Have your rest old man you have earned it. "He clapped the old man on the arm then walked off to see to Jared.

By the time he got there Jared was starting to come to. "It would seem my boy that you will be staying with us for a long time."

"We need to get him to a healer." One of the other trainees commented.

"No!" The trainer ordered, "Jared will live with his pain for now, and he has earned that scar on his pretty face. Maybe it will remind him that pride goes before a fall, and "the trainer turned around to see the old man had gone, "things are not always as they seem."