EDIT: Fixed a few words.
EDIT: Corrected some incorrect HP stats
Chapter 4: The Next Generation of Defenders
'This isn't exactly what I'm used to.'
I gave Farran a clearer picture of what I do, or more specifically the physicality of the people I've trained. Since players don't feel fatigued or tired like a normal person in-game, everyone skips the body conditioning part and goes straight into combat. That's not how it works for real life and certainly not for the people of this world.
Fortunately, I am physically active and had attended sports and activities like martial arts and soccer. So, I do know the basic warm-ups and the likes. But that's Farran and his instructor's forte, not mine. I'll be handling some sections of the combat training and will have Farran monitoring me to make sure I'm doing things right.
A total of 12 teenagers and children are attending the training session, with the oldest at 15 and the youngest at 11 years old. Some are already equipped with their own gear, wielding weapons or dressed in leather armor. Altan is among the group still holding onto the short spear I gave him.
The training grounds we're on are large and wide enough to accommodate everyone.
[Hasiera's Militia Training Grounds]
Increases health and aura regen by 20% when idling and increases EXP gains by 25% within the area
And has some decent blessings to accelerate their training process.
"Alright!" Farran claps his hands loudly, "Ya lots will be a different bunch! We'll be trying something different from here on out! After what happened a few days, I've realized that the continuation of the training course I had everyone done is ineffective." He stops pacing and turns to face them. "Continuing down the path I've envisioned is suicide. What I tried to teach was not enough. If y'all want to continue to live, to protect your home and those you care about… Then y'all need to be trained like huntsmen and huntresses."
'That's a decent pep talk.'
Loran softly groans, knowing that he and every other militia will be retrained as well.
I can see that most of the teens and children are excited that they'll be training to be like huntsmen and huntresses; the rest were cautious or curious. Are huntsmen and huntresses celebrities or something? Regardless, it seems that Farran was right about the people here having a strong martial tradition given that it was a military base. Of course, it can't be overlooked that just a few days, their entire town would have stayed completely ravaged if it weren't for me. They probably don't want to experience that again.
"That's why Enzo here will be helping me train you lots to become one." He slaps me on the back, pushing me forth. "He's trained others before and will now be training you."
That was my cue to formally 'introduce' myself.
"As Farran said, I'm Enzo. I'll be unlocking the auras of those who haven't unlocked theirs and helping out mostly in close-quarter combat using actual and practice weapons. You will need aura for sparring, no exceptions."
"The path of a huntsman and huntress is a dangerous one." Farran's expression was downright serious. "You'll be fighting not just the Creatures of Grimm, but dangerous people as well. Though it's extremely unlikely anyone will be fighting others to the death here, it's always a possibility. If ya don't wish to go down this path, you're free to leave anytime you want."
All of them seem to stiffen a bit, but none of them backed down.
"Stay where you are. I'll be unlocking each of your auras. Those who already have their auras unlocked can remain where they are. I can tell who has aura, and who has not."
I thought I'll never be using this skill outside of being a discount medic for my friends, but there's a first for everything. Out of 12 people here, 5 of them already have their aura unlocked, leaving only 7 I need to take care of.
Skill [Unlock/Replenish Aura (ACTIVE) – Restores or unlocks a target's aura. Cost 5% of the user's aura]
Name: Enzo
AP: 31624/48653
HP: 250/250
'That's roughly 35% of my aura gone.'
I stand aside for Farran to do some ground rules about aura, semblances, and the training that they'll be doing. The training ground's bonus is quickly replenishing my aura to a comfortable degree, so I should be good in a minute or two. Well, I'm practically a walking aura tank here compared to everyone.
"And keep your aura up at all times from here on out. Your speed, strength, senses… They're all enhanced by your aura. Watch yourself and others around ya! Do I make myself clear?"
The teenagers all stood up straight. "Yes, sir!"
"They're all yours, Enzo."
"Thank you. Okay, each of you will now choose a weapon. If you already have one, you can pick another one for backup if you want. Armor and accessories too." I signal for Farran and Loran to roll out the armaments from the armories. "Once you got what you wanted, line up."
Normally, I would have everyone train with a staff, spear, or knife if they're new. It's surprising just how diverse and freestyled everything is, hence why we're letting them choose their weapons first. I would've imagined that they'll be more unified in their approach, but creativity and freedom of choice is something this world valued, according to Farran.
It seems that this Great War of theirs left a huge cultural impact.
[Insight on Culture has increased by +5]
[Insight on History has increased by +3]
Farran, Loran, and I step back watching them rummage through the pile of armaments. Already there was a handful of brash and gung-ho teens who choose the meanest or heaviest-looking weapon and armor from the pile.
"You're pretty evil, for what you're about to do next," Loran said next to me.
We've been briefly acquainted once before. Loran is one of the town militia team leaders and the youngest for that position. He's a good fighter from what I gathered from Farran. One of his best students.
Name: Loran Terrell
Level: 64
Age: 26
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 2516/2516
HP: 210/210
Stats
Details
Equipment
I gave him a sly grin. "I read this tactic in a book once. It'll teach them to take what they need and what they can."
It's from a long old discontinued manhwa series I stumbled upon by chance called Kingdom of Zombies*. A shame it was canceled very early.
"Really? I would love to read it."
"Aye. Me too."
"Sadly, I don't have it with me."
Anyway, this is a good starting point for me to teach the kids about: Don't take what you don't need or an excessive amount.
I'll be treating my training similar to how we teach everyone who plans on entering the Outlands, which is an extremely hardcore PvP zone. To sum it up, you cannot access your storage and certain extended inventories there unless you're in a safe zone and if you die in the Outlands, you're losing your entire inventory and equipment you have on you. You lose everything and anybody can loot what you have.
Like a said, extremely hardcore. On the bright side, everything in the Outlands is several times more potent and valuable. Alliances, coalitions, and guilds set up territories to mine, gather, and farm resources there all the time. It also gets very ugly when everyone starts warring with each other for those resources.
Outlands Expedition Training is one of the most important mandatory training that we conduct if any of our members want to help us in the Outlands. If you want to join us in the Outlands, you'll need to go through the OutExp first.
And I'll be using that as a reference for their lessons.
Once all of the trainees were equipped with their weapons of choice, they lined up in front of us, eager to get started on their combat training.
They're going to hate me for this.
"Now that everybody has picked what they needed, run six laps around the training ground!" Their expressions are what I'd predicted. "Did you really think you can fight hordes of monsters three times your size without building stamina or strength? In your dreams! Six laps with the weapons and armors you've chosen, now! And try not to bunch up!"
/-/
So, this is what a PE teacher feels like when making their students suffer physical hardship. Fortunately, I was and still am the physically active one.
Teaching these teens will be completely different than how I normally teach our competitive players. So, I had to breakdown what was the most important thing when it comes to real-life physical training. Warm-ups, building endurances, and repetitive movements should be a good place to start.
[Altan Esplanade has leveled up!]
Name: Altan Esplanade
Level: 8
Age: 12
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 170/170
HP: 100/100
Stats
Details
Equipment
[Altan Esplanade's Training Progress]
Militia Training: 3.06%
Huntsman Training: 0.10%
'Training Progress. Those things are never accurate when it comes to NPCs.' At least, that's what my peers always complain about. 'But these guys aren't NPCs, they're real people. I'm curious to see if the system is accurate in its assessments.'
Altan seems much more determinant and hardier than the rest of the group, pushing through despite looking like he could use a break.
At least half of the trainees had their levels increased by one. The rest are all higher leveled and will require more training to level up. Of course, they don't realize that they're leveling up just by doing these boring, but practical workouts. They're gaining actual experience, and I'm the only one who can see their progression after all.
They held out for a while on the sparse training ground until the third and fourth lap where they really started to tire out. More so for the cocky ones who decided to take up the heavier armor and weapons; they've started breathing heavily around the second lap. Soon, all of the trainees weren't able to complete the fifth lap, staggering to a walk halfway around the training grounds.
"You guys can't go any further? That's alright for now! Break time! Now is a good time to be hydrated!" They all collapsed onto the floor, their weapons clattering on the dirt ground. Some going for their water canteens. "Once you have recovered, we'll be moving onto the next phase of your training."
"What will you have them doing next?" Loran asked, curious about my next training stage.
"They'll be practicing with their weapons, swinging it until their arms tired."
"Ah. So, what Farran had us do."
Farran snorts and slaps Loran on the back. "Ya lots wouldn't have gotten anywhere without strengthening your body. I'll tell ya this, Loran. Being a huntsman or huntress requires a lot of that. Don't think I won't do the same retraining with you lots."
Groaning, Loran glances over at me with a slightly pleading look. He knows I'll be playing a large part in their suffering.
I shrugged, "It's either that or the Grimm."
"Eh, true. Try not to work us down till the point we can't even move. Don't want to be an easy meal for them."
We begin making way for the next training session to begin. Loran and Farran retrieved any weapons, armors, or accessories the trainees deemed too burdensome and put them back onto the racks. After securing everything, they carted the armaments towards the side to allow me to set up the training dummies.
[Selected: Wooden Training Dummy x12]
[Select a suitable location for construction]
[Constructing: Wooden Training Dummy x12]
[Wooden Training Dummy: Boundless]
Type: Training Dummy
HP: Ꝏ
Training dummies have infinite health if placed in areas that are owned by the player and have no hostile mobs nearby. I've tested it out earlier today and it seems that it works here too since I've claimed ownership of Hasiera through the system. I can have all these superpowered hormonally teenagers use all their strength on these dummies without worrying about replacing them.
"Are you guys still alive?"
"No…" Mumbles one of the trainees.
"A shame. Let this be a lesson for all of you. Take what you can and need, but not what you think you want. Now, pick yourself up and start hitting these dummies with your weapons." I motion to the columns of wooden training dummies. "You can attack with all your strength, but these targets won't break. Pick a spot and start swinging or stabbing. Be mindful of your surroundings. It's time for you guys to get a feel of the weapons you've chosen. Remember you can switch weapons if you feel that your weapon isn't right for you."
It's time to see how much control and strength these kids have. Each weapon they wield has a different approach in its swings, stabs, and whatnots. I'm not an expert in this stuff and somewhat clueless in all fairness, but even I know you can't wield a mace like it is a sword. Especially with so many hybrid and transformative weapons that's also a gun or something.
Altan looks at the wooden dummies, then to some of his peer's heavier weaponry. "Will these really won't break?"
"Yeah. Let me show you guys." I draw my weapon and activated my skill.
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Inner Strength (ACTIVE) – Temporarily increase STR and damage output by 130%] [Level 20]
The piercing sound of crackling steel and wood made all the trainees flinch. Each of my strikes violently shook the wooden dummy, causing small winds to billow around me. The dummy remains standing with faint smoke emitting from the impact, still in one piece without a single scratch.
[Damage dealt: 9,516,225]
Farran whistles, "Sheesh. That's a lot of power you're packing in your arms. Hate to be on the receiving end of that. What are these made out of?"
"The wood is a very special type of lumber from where I'm from. I'm not even using all of my strength." I turn to the now awestruck trainees. "You can't do what I just did by picking up a weapon and swinging it around for a few days, weeks, or months. You'll need strength and stamina. You'll need to channel and refine your aura. This may all seem boring right now, but you're going to need it. Tiring out in the middle of the fight is fatal."
'I made that all up, but it's probably true.' I teach VR players with a competitive streak how to fight and improve in a game, not for real life. I'm not an MMA or HEMA instructor.
"And an important note, the Grimm don't tire." Farran reminds the trainees with a stern expression. "It's important that you build your strength and stamina. The moment you fight a Grimm, either you kill it, or it kills you."
The trainees' nod.
"Good. Pick a spot and start practicing your swings."
/-/
Everyone found a dummy to wail on, and it didn't take the Farran long to point out the three types of trainees in a practice swing drill:
You have the conservers, who save their energy with moderate swings. Sometimes their form is sloppy or awkward if they're new.
The all-outers, putting all their energy into each of their swings without much thought. Typically, they have a sloppy form and tire out quickly.
And lastly, the gauche ones, who don't really know what they're doing.
[IA System: Integrating new insight]
[You gained some insight on {Primary Huntsmen and Huntresses Training Regimen}]
[The higher your insight is, the more experience the trainees under your instruction will receive]
[Primary Huntsmen and Huntresses Training Regimen: Insight Level 2]
'I was wondering when the insight system was getting an update here. This is new…'
"Loran, help that one with the splitting maul." Farran points to a slightly buffed-looking teen who's constantly wincing each time his hammer axe weapon strikes against the dummy. "He's Montferrand's kid. Nice fella."
I glance over to read the boy's stat.
Name: Cedar Montferrand
Level: 18
Age: 15
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 210/210
HP: 170/170
Stats
Details
Equipment
"The logger's son? I thought he looked familiar… I'll go show him how to hold and use his weapon." Loran walks away, taking his war hammer with him to demonstrate the proper motions and techniques.
"Keep it up!" I shouted an encouragement before turning towards Farran. "So, how do you think your grandchildren are holding up?"
Name: Jay Solarius
Level: 16
Age: 13
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 175/175
HP: 120/120
Stats
Details
Equipment
Name: Iris Solarius
Level: 16
Age: 13
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 160/160
HP: 110/110
Stats
Details
Equipment
I've gotten acquainted with some of Farran's family members, mostly his grandchildren. It's an extended family; like eleven people or more so I haven't gotten around to greeting all of them since they're busy. Farran has five grandchildren in total if I counted it right and two of them are in this group.
Jay and Iris Solarius. The Solarius Twins with their signature pale reddish hair and bright yellow eyes. They inherited their father's surname when Farran's adult daughter, Vanessa, married Flann Solarius. Both were wielding a partisan spear and were doing well in terms of stamina, at least in my eyes. They do look like they're starting to tire.
Farran silently analyzes their performance, "They're losing their strength and grip. Otherwise, they're enduring it pretty well. What do you think of Altan's performance?"
'Altan?'
My eyes turn over to the red-haired boy.
[Altan Esplanade gained 93 EXP]
He was dicing away at the wooden training dummy, arms blurring with the steel short spear I'd given him. The metal glint brightly with each dual slash followed with a vicious stab; rinse and repeat with some variation.
The kid is brutal.
[Altan Esplanade gained 100 EXP]
[Altan Esplanade gained 96 EXP]
[Altan Esplanade has leveled up!]
Name: Altan Esplanade
Level: 10
AP: 173/173
HP: 100/100
"He's going to feel it in a feel hour if he keeps that up." The amount of energy Altan is expending every second is making even me tired. That aside, it looks like Altan is talented when it comes to combat. "But I think he has some potential. What do you think?"
Farran nods, "The lad has potential alright. Plus, his folks were from Vacuo. Never really got much of a chance to show off what he knows from them without getting in trouble."
The lawless and desert kingdom that is Vacuo, if I can recall. From what I've gathered, nearly everyone there are hardy people.
"Sounds like Altan is a handful."
"The lad has been mellowed ever since yesterday. Being that close to death can do things to people. Keep an eye on the lad, will ya?"
"Will do."
We watch Loran give Cedar some pointers on how to swing a heavy weapon before walking around to give the trainees useful pointers to improve their form. Still, that didn't slow down their exhaustion. They can't even last for fifteen minutes, much less seven. But at least everyone leveled up at least once for the first two series of these practice drills. I kept tabs on each of the trainee's status, watching the notifications bring up how many EXP and progress each of the trainees were making.
Everyone is doing well. I think.
I incorporated some of Farran's ideas to weed out those who aren't that willing to dedicate themselves to the role of being a militia, huntsmen, huntresses… Whichever. This training is a taster of sorts for those who are deciding if they should continue down this path.
Farran chuckles lightly and slaps me on the back. "Let's call it a break. They won't be able to do anything tomorrow even with their aura helping them at this rate."
"Fair enough. Break time you guys! Those were all warm-ups! Get hydrated, use the bathroom; do what is needed! We'll start going into the actual training, but first, we need to cover the rules."
/-/
We had to go to great lengths and lay down the rules for the physical and combat training before splitting the entire group into three between me, Farran, and Loran. Each of us monitors four trainees that will spar with each other, but their first sparring sessions were very awkward since most weren't use to fighting others, much less their aura. It wasn't a problem as Farran said, it's in line with how everyone went about with their first sparring lessons.
Awkward, reluctant, and scared.
It went on until noon where it's lunchtime for the kids and their transitions to general education. I am seriously glad that I inherited a robust place and system, not some backwater village which is a harsh thing to say… What I'm trying to say is that it could have been worse.
Anyway, I have a structured lesson plan me and Farran worked out for all new trainees. The militias will get their own separate training lesson plans once Farran works out their schedules.
The trainees will meet every two days and will go through the following: basic warm-ups like running and weapon drills, followed by sparring and combat demonstrations. Once we feel that everyone has gotten enough experience, we'll start heading out into the forests to hunt animals and Grimm. This part is where we teach them how to navigate terrains, situation awareness, and let them practice their aim with ranged weapons from the armory.
Aura training will be left to Farran and some of the guys from the medical units since they can't strengthen or refine their aura as I can. Still, they probably will not get to my level. I don't have enough insight to see the exact details of their stats, but I know that everyone has a low wisdom (WIS) stat, which is the stat that affects your aura and certain abilities.
Since the group I was to train is done for the day and everyone else is off taking a break or doing their own thing, I decided to take a walk around the town.
The afternoon seems to be the time of relaxation. Everyone is kicking back and relaxing in the warm tropical temperature of the late afternoon. They all seem resilient and optimistic in general, considering how their town was under heavy attack. Some were brushing the street of dirt and pebbles to the side of the paved walkways or handing out dried fruits to each other, chatting lively.
Not far from the adults were their children being entertained by colorful creatures created by a soft-looking eastern teenager dressed in traditional garb using a round paintbrush and inks.
Name: Aoi Yasunori
Level: 23
Age: 16
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 1958/1958
HP: 120/120
Stats
Details
Equipment
'A Japanese name. Is that common around here?'
I watch Aoi paint on a smooth stone slab he had on the ground, swiftly outlining a bird and coloring it in with a variety of colorful inks.
His aura flares up briefly, causing the painting to also flicker with the same color of his aura. The colorful bird illustration slowly comes to life. It pulls itself out of the stone slab, materializing as a three-dimensional creature, and flies around causing the children to squeal in delight at the beautiful creature.
'Is that a semblance?'
[Insight on Aoi Yasunori has increased by +22]
[Aoi Yasunori's semblance has been revealed]
A notification dot beeps on the [Details] section of his stat screen.
Name: Aoi Yasunori
Level: 23
Age: 16
Affiliation: Hasiera
AP: 1958/1958
HP: 120/120
Stats
Details V
[Semblance: Soul of Art – Anything the user paints can be animated and controlled by the user]
…
Equipment
'That sounds useful and fun.' There's a lot of potential and utility with that kind of semblance.
I stilled a bit, feeling someone try to sneak up behind me. Someone small.
I wouldn't say the person behind me wasn't sneaky, rather I've dealt with sneaky opponents before. Notable during the 31st to 36th alliance vs alliance season where stealth and illusions were the 'meta' at that point. That includes the arranged private alliance and guild wars we partake in. I'm certain I have achieved semi ultra-instinct at this point.
"Can I help you, Altan?"
The small figure behind me pauses and meekly shuffles to my left side.
Name: Altan Esplanade
Level: 11
Age: 12
Affiliation: Kingdom of Hasiera
AP: 177/177
HP: 100/100
Stats
Details
Equipment
[Altan Esplanade's Training Progress]
Militia Training: 4.62%
Huntsman Training: 0.16%
"How did you know it was me?"
"I can sense other's aura." My WIS is decent at 219 that opens up some talent trees of useful passive and active abilities to spec into. "And I have encountered people who are good with stealth."
Altan taps his foot on the ground and rubs his arm, starting to feel sore from today's training. "That explains a lot. Farran did say you've trained others to fight before. Where are you from to get this strong?"
"I'm from a place called Avalon-Estria," I repeated my technically true backstory. "Everything over there is very strong and dangerous, so everyone had to become strong too."
A brief silence follows after I gave my answer.
"… I heard you can't find a way back home…"
"Yeah. Not sure how I got here really and don't know where I should start." The system says to find a way to locate whatever these 'possible solutions' are if I were to get back. How in the world am I supposed to find something so vague when I've yet to look at a map here? "That reminds me, you guys wouldn't happen to have a world map here?"
His eyes widen a bit, "We do! Our school has a lot of them. Come on, my class is about to start too."
"What about him?" I motioned my head to Aoi, "Does he also have classes?"
"Aoi? He's in another district and at a higher school level than us." Altan waves at Aoi, who nods and waves back. "Will you also be training him?"
"I will be eventually training everyone. I'm likely to meet Aoi somewhere along the lines." We begin to make our way towards Altan's school district, "Does he use any weapons?"
"Aoi is good with the bow. He sometimes helps hunting for food and Grimm, so he's pretty good already."
[Insight on Aoi Yasunori has increased by +7]
"Has he use his semblance for combat or training?"
With a semblance like Aoi's, I can have him create paintings of Grimm, bring them to life, and have the trainees fight it. It'll be good training practice; else I'll have to use the dark essences I got from killing Grimm and make some my own.
"Semblance?" Altan tips his head a bit before recalling today's explanation on semblances. "Oh! You mean how he brings his paintings to life? I don't know… He never uses it in combat. At least, I never saw him use it."
"I see." Maybe there are limitations to his semblance then. Guess I'll have to ask Aoi himself or ask Farran when the time comes. "What do they teach you at your school."
Pardon my grammar.
*Kingdom of Zombies is a real manhwa. You can search it up if you're interested. Sadly, it only has a few chapters.
I really wonder how huntsmen and huntresses trained in the World of Remnant. Never get to see much of in the RWBY series outside of sparring. So, I have to use some references from real life.