Disclaimer: Don't own W.I.T.C.H. or D&D
Once again thanking Sniper Fodder for all his hard work at editing my chapters.
Chapter 6: New People and Friends, But Same Fears
It had been a month since Will had come to live with and train under Susan Vandom. Though Susan every so often gave Will small jobs to do so as to keep up the appearance of having Will carry out her forced service sentence.
These were often things like cleaning Susan room, fetching things for Susan or delivering messages around the castle. For the most part she had become Susan's go to girl but it that was a given seeing how Will was only twelve. Susan could have had Will run errands into city but the Royal Knight was reluctant to send Will into the city alone.
This was because the news had quickly flowed down the grape vine about Will's presence and several nobles and other high-class citizens had lodged complaints about it. Many still remembered what happened when the last warlock lived in the city and said Will was just as big a threat.
The topic about the previous warlock was a sore subject for Susan and verbally attacking Will did not make Susan any happier. So Susan did the only she could do, she made it clear the old laws from twelve year ago were back in place and any attempt to drive Will out would not be tolerated.
This did not go over well with those who complained that Will would bring disaster but the word of a Royal Knight could only countered by Queen Sade her self. Many had found out the Queen had placed the new warlock under Lady Vandom care so they gave up knowing there was nothing they could do.
Though Susan made a point to not bring any of this news up with Will, not wanting to upset her half-elf student. Susan didn't want Will to worry about the stuck up people so she decide to keep it a secret for now.
On the plus side Will was doing well in her training and was advancing steadily in both in her physical training, and in her studies. Though calling them lessons on teaching her to read, writing and basic addition and subtraction studies may be a bit off.
Susan said she would give Will a basic education and she meant it. Most people only needed these most basic skills and they were set for life. Nobility were the ones who needed to study history, advanced mathematics, art, culture and other such things, though Susan did encourage Will to read a history book every so often.
Susan knew there was no such thing as useless knowledge but she could tell Will did not like being forced to sit down and study something. Will was the type who was suited to hands on learning where you showed her what to do and she learned by watching and doing. Susan knew that if she taught Will like she was in a classroom it would only make Will go insane, and this was proven during writing and math lessons.
Will always fidgeted and it took all her will power to keep focused on doing the work she was given. Susan just made sure Will finished her assigned work then suggested other subjects she might want to study in her free time.
Will did try to read books about monsters and other creatures as well as study magic from some of the more simple magic guides. She did study a bit of history, though mostly about legends, myths, and her own classes. But it did get Will studying useful information as a result as well.
Over all Susan was pleased by Will's progress seeing how she was dealing with a major handicap because of being neglected for so long by most people.
The only problem Susan had with her student was how Will kept using prestidigitation to play jokes on her. Though nothing as bold as when Will changed her hair and face color, but still pulling minor pranks from time to time.
Though only mild things such moving a fork out of Susan's reach or making her tea go cold, it was still a bit annoying. Though it did wonders for Will's stamina because of all the extra running she had the half-elf doing.
Right now though Susan had shoed Will off to her room to have some personal time to give her young student a break. It seemed that unless she was pulling pranks she would either be doing training on her own or reading one of the many books that were in her room.
This was not a bad thing per say but it would not help Will's devolvement as a person to have only social contact with only one person. The servants did not show any harsh behavior to the young half-elf but they did keep their distance.
Susan knew it was because of Will's warlock abilities that they kept Will at arms length. The ones who would have hated Will had ether quite or were dismissed long ago but the ones that remained were mostly were still nervous because of the…incident twelve years ago. It did not help that Will did the same out of fear of being hurt with the exception of Susan of course.
"That man had the trust and respect of most of this kingdom and he turned his back on them and me for promises of power. Now Will seems to be paying the price," Susan growled under breath as she tried to enjoy a quite moment after dealing with another noble lodging a complaint about Will being trained.
Susan did not know what to do though. She was too worried about Will to relax. It would help if she knew Will could rely on some other people then her self, but who? Then a thought struck her "They are supposed to be coming in a week for our usual monthly get together. I forgot about that," Susan whispered to her self.
This would be perfect. Will might have a chance to make some friends and have social contact with different people. If this went well enough maybe Will would come out of her shell a bit more.
For the rest of the week Susan had added small lessons in manors. Nothing complex, just things Will would have learned if she had been either accepted for who she was, or full human or elf. The little get together with the people coming would be a simple one so there was no need to teach Will much of anything that she had not already tried to imitate from Susan.
Every time Will asked why the sudden addition to the lessons, Susan would tell her she would find out at the end of the week. Susan did not want Will to get nervous about meeting new people, so she kept it a secret to Will's annoyance.
When the day finally came Susan told her young pupil that training was canceled for the day, but said if she wanted Will could do some light exercises to keep her-self busy. Susan explained that the surprise would be revealed this afternoon and asked Will to be patient a little longer.
Will made sure to keep her training light like Susan asked, by only doing the new katas she had been taught. She had finally been told why Susan was teaching her two fighting styles at once and was now learning a small bit of Soaring Dance.
Will was not yet ready to use the style yet because she only was starting to combine the Dancing Leaf and basic sword training, but she could at least have a spar with Susan now. Will knew Susan held back much of her real skill when they practiced but Will did not care. It felt good to be able to put the skills she was learning to use.
Will was so focused on trying to smoothly combine both speed and power she lost track of time. The next thing she knew she heard something down in the courtyard below and went to look. Will saw two carriages pulling up to the front of the castle entrance and noticed both had the same emblem that was on some of Susan's clothing.
Unnoticed by the confused girl Susan came up behind her and said, "Looks like the surprise is here" this of course startled Will at the sudden noise. Once Will recovered from her sudden scare she asked "What do you mean?" still trying to figure out how this was the surprise.
Susan just smiled knowingly and signaled Will to follow her. Susan leads Will to the entrance of the castle where several people had already gathered.
Will looked at all the new comers, though first to get her attention was actually the familiar face of Queen Sade who had noticed her and Susan coming towards them. The Queen wasted no time heading over to the pair and pulled Will into a friendly hug.
"Will it's good to see you again. How has the slave driver been treating you?" Sade asked with smile as she greeted Will and teased Susan.
Susan had ignored Sade's joke but she did swat Will on the back of the head for joking that's she was being worked until she collapsed.
Sade giggled at the two but thought it best to introduce Will to the rest of the guests, so she and Susan lead Will over to the rest of the group.
The first person Sade introduced Will to was a woman named Abele Russell or also known as The Mage. She was a woman with long pink hair and green eyes and she wore the robes of a sorcerers that were dark brown in color. On her shoulder was a raven that Will guessed was the woman's familiar.
"Ah so this is the trouble maker you have taken in Susan. Sade told me about what happened… makes me wonder why we have not dealt with the man yet," Mage said in a tone that made it clear she liked the man about as much as Susan and Sade did.
Will was slightly intimidated by the one called Mage. She had a presences that was so powerful it almost over whelmed her. Susan placed her hand on Will's shoulders and said "Abele you mind toning down your magic aura? Your scaring Will" Susan asked making Will blush from embarrassment.
Sade giggled, as the one known as the all-powerful Mage also blushed at her carelessness. "I apologize. I often forget I don't live in solitude any more so I tend to forget to keep my presence suppressed" Abele apologized. She was a protector of several objects of great power and made a habit of keeping her magic aura active to scare thieves away. The down side was she had only begun to have normal contact with people once again since she had married her husband, and was still re-learning to hide her aura to avoid these little events.
Will timidly nodded and she accepted the apology. Then Susan leads Will over to a group of five girls and an old woman. Susan scanned the group and chose the next one to introduce Will to.
Susan picked a mini-version of Sade in a robe like green dress with an amulet of the sun god Pelor around her neck. In her hand was a white staff like the kind a wizard or sorcerer would use. "Will this is Elyon. She is Sade's daughter…Will you don't need to do that," Susan said as Will started bowing to the princess of Meridian.
Every one in the room giggled at the sight though one of the girls spoke up "Sade looks like it's time for you to retire. Your daughter gets more respect then you do" this made Will look to the one who spoke.
The girl had short brown hair and blue eyes. Her clothing was like Will's except her tunic was blue and her pants were brown. Will also noticed the girl was also wearing a chain shirt over her tunic like Will did during her training. The thing that really caught Will's eye was the double-bladed sword on the girl's back. A double-bladed sword was similar to staves. They just had had a sword blade on each end. On her left shoulder were there was some thick leather strapped to it sat a red tailed hawk. This made Will think she was a Ranger because of the hawk, armor and weapon.
Susan then spoke as Sade glared at the wise cracker playfully "The smart mouth is Irma Lair and she always makes wise cracks. You'll hopefully get used to it" Susan said getting a tongue stuck out at her.
Susan ignored the childish action and moved onto a girl with dark brown skin and short black hair wearing glasses. Her dark red and orange robes screamed wizard as did the plane wooden staff she held in her hand, and the white owl on her shoulder. "This is Taranee Cook, one of the smartest but shyest girls I've ever met," this had the girl known as Taranee wave timidly at Will as Susan moved on.
The next person was a young Asian girl with long black hair that was done into twin ponytails. Her bright yellow and green robes hugged her body closer then normal. Usually this was the style for very agile magic users or who had rogue training. Under the robe was a chain shirt and at her sides were two daggers. A white and orange cat was at the girl's feet, confirming she was a magic user of some kind.
"This is Hay Lin, a very…energetic girl. You'll probably need all you stamina to just keep up with her" Susan said teasing the girl who was now protesting with a load "HEY!"
This had both the half and full-blooded elf covering their ears due to their more sensitive hearing then Susan added, "I forgot to mention loud." This had the girl about to protest again but an old woman clamped her hand over the girl's mouth.
The old woman wore a simple green robe and had her surprisingly still black hair done up in a bun. "Thank you Yan Lin, your granddaughter is as fiery as ever I see," Susan thanked her getting a chuckle from the old woman.
Susan the moved on to the last girl present, one with long golden hair and blue eyes and was dressed in a dark green druid's robe. She has a scimitar on one side and a dagger on the other. There was also a large white tiger behind her, and this made Will back off a bit in fear.
Susan stopped her young student as she giggled at the young girl's common reaction to the white tiger "Don't worry, Cornelia Hale's animal companion is perfectly harmless and isn't that right Snowflake?" Susan said to the big cat that just stared at the Elf.
'The big white cat with daggers for teeth and claws is called Snowflake?' Will thought to her self as the one called Cornelia spoke "Don't worry. She's only dangerous if ordered... or I get attacked. At any other time she's just a big house cat," the way the girl spoke made Will think Cornelia could be the daughter of a noble as well as a druid, since she looked more well kept then a normally druid would be.
Will then heard Susan speaking again "All right, just so you girls know, Will has taken over your old club room so you'll need to ask her if you can use it tonight before your trip." This had Will confused at how she took over any thing.
Sade seeing this spoke "What, she likes to read lot Susan?" the queen asked which her friend answered "A little but it's more of the fact it's her room now instead of a study." Susan explained.
The three other adults in room looked at Susan as if asking why. "I have my reasons" was all she said.
Will on the other hand was trying keep her self calm as the other five girl were staring at her until Irma asked "So can we stay there tonight?" this had Taranee turn to her and say "Irma! It's her room! She probably wants to keep her privacy at just that, private!"
Will was not sure what to do and went over to Susan and asked, "If they stay in my room were should I sleep?" Will did not want to keep a room that the other girls used anyways so she just thought she could get out of their way for the night.
This of course was easy for Susan to answers "In the same room, it is a sleep over after all." The elf said in matter of fact tone with a smile on her face. This was part of her plan to get Will to open up. She knew Will would offer her room to the other girls so the best thing to do was get her to stay with them and hopefully make some friends.
Will was shocked and bit scared at the idea. She was not used to being around most people and was even more nervous now that she was a warlock. Though she accepted the fact that she was a warlock, she still feared people would hurt her for being one along with being a half-elf.
Though from what she could tell, no one seemed mad at her for her heritage as a half-elf, though she did not want to find out how they would feel about her being a warlock. Will knew Sade did not care but did the princess feel the same as her mother? 'Does she already know?' Will thought to her self.
Susan seeing the emotions going across Will's face bent down and whispered into the half-elf's ear "Every thing will be fine from what Sade's letter said a few days ago. None of them know of your abilities yet…it's up to you if you tell them but I think you should trust them" she said and it seemed to give Will some confidence back.
Though Susan knew it was mostly because the girls did not know of her powers yet but it was a start. 'Will I do think you should trust them…maybe the little trip they have planned might help build that trust' the elvin woman thought to her self as she watched Will lead the group up to their shared room.
Sade came up from behind her friend as asked "She is still scared?" only getting a nod as a response.
Abele put her hand on her hips and stated "If they don't accepted her fro something that is out of her control then it's their loss, not hers…though I think at least Elyon would have no problem with it seeing as how she is your daughter Sade," the powerful sorceress said to her Queen.
Sade nodded as she spoke "Yes she knows better then to judge some one by anything other then their actions. I think the only one we should worry about is Cornelia. She does have two parents with conflicting views after all"
This had all who were present nod their heads sadly. They knew that her mother was once part of a group of druids that saw warlocks as unnatural beings and believed they needed to be cleansed. Though Lady Hale's views had softened to just keep your distance from warlocks instead of killing warlocks it still did not help matters.
Lord Hale one the more wealthy and powerful lords in the kingdom and did not hate warlocks. In fact he tried to create an academy for them. But because he lacked the support to pull it off he failed unfortunately. He saw warlocks as just another from of spell casters and due to fact they had nearly unlimited supernatural energy made them ideal for many tasks.
He was the reason for his wife's some what change of heart and his daughter's noble upbringing making a rather strange mix of being a druid yet living like a noble. It was strange to see a druid that could be so connected to nature yet so focused on things like fashion and appearance.
Then again it was also strange for a noble and druid to marry and no one could ever figure out how that came to be.
Mean while Will had every one in her room and thought it was bit crowded, though still enough room for them all. Once every one was in a chair or, in Will case, sitting on her bed the questions started coming.
"So Will, we heard you're a Gifted. Are you the same as Susan or a different combination of classes?" Taranee asked getting every else to listen closely to Will's answer.
Will a bit nervous managed to answer with nod and said, "Ya, I'm a gifted in the sorcerer and fighter classes like Susan" leaving out the fact she was also a warlock as well.
'I'm sorry Susan' Will thought to herself knowing the Elvin woman wanted her to trust these girls, but she couldn't. She wanted to feel accepted if only for a little while by people her own age.
The other girls were unaware of Will's internal battle with herself as they started asking questions again "So have you trained with Susan for very long?" Hey Lin asked only to be followed by a question from Irma "Ya are you ready to kick some monster butt?!"
This had Will look right at the other tomboy in surprise and confusion while Cornelia smacked the joker over the head "Real discrete Irma!" this only got Irma glaring at the noble/druid as she rubbed her head.
"Watch it Corny, or you and me will take this outside" this only got Cornelia screaming back "Don't call me Corny!"
Every One but Will started to groan at this and the Elyon stood up placing her hands firmly on the table "Okay you two that's enough" she said in a commanding voice to keep her two friends from having yet another fight.
Will watched the scene play out making her think this was normal from the way every groaned when Cornelia and Irma started fighting. After the Elyon had made the two combatants take seats again Will answered the two questions from before.
"I have been training for about a month now. As for fighting monsters I'm not sure…why do you want to know?" Will asked not sure why they would want to know how skilled she was.
Elyon decided to answer for the group "Well you see tomorrow we are going on a exploration of some ruins and if you feel like it your more then welcome to come along" the princess said making Will's jaw drop in shock.
"Nice work Elyon you broke her" Irma said going into joker mode, but the princess ignored the comment as she and the rest of the group waited for Will to respond. Though it did take a few minutes for her to do so.
When she did she started to think of what to do 'If I go it might not be so bad. But what if something goes wrong? What if we run into trouble and I need to use my warlock powers?'
After thinking for while Will answered "I don't think it's a good idea. If you think there will be trouble I might only hold you back" she said hopping her response would make a good excuse. Though from the looks of things it seemed the group was not going to buy it. They could tell she was nervous and assumed it was first time jitters. In a way they were half right, though it was mostly the warlock aspect that worried Will.
Irma stood up with a determined look in her eyes "Hey, the only way your going to grow is if you put your skills to use, but I have a solution" with that she made a gesture for every one to follow.
The joker led every one to the training ground/balcony and grabbed a wooden practice staff then tossed a practice sword over to Will. "We are going to have a little match. If I win you come with us, no ifs, ands, or buts. But if you win the choice is yours and we will accept it okay?" the jokester asked.
Will looked a little reluctant but knew it was the only way to get out of this and nodded yes then asked "Any special rules?" Will learned that in duals like this when something was being wagered, there were usually special rules made for the match.
Irma thought for a moment the answered "Lets keep it too fighting skills only, so no spells. To win you need to score one hit with your weapon okay?" this made Will nervous again seeing how that did cut her off from a lot of tricks Susan had taught her.
'But then again only powerful rangers have access to magic so it would be fair and who knows I had Susan as a Royal Knight training me. Maybe I can win' Will thought to herself, then gave one final nod as she got into a fighting stance.
The other girls on the other hand did not like this idea so much. They knew Irma had more years of training under her belt. Plus she was no ordinary ranger ether, she was an Arcane Hunter, a type of ranger who was trained to fight magic users like Will.
'And she trained in the rogue arts with me so she has that advantage as well' Hay Lin thought to herself as she watched Irma get into a fighting stance of her own and ordered her hawk off her shoulder and to stay clear of the fight. Every one but Will knew this was going to turn out bad for the half-elf.
Though the ones who were especially worried for Will were Sade and Susan, who were watching from the garden. Though the garden was not in view of the balcony, it did not matter when a scrying spell was being used.
In the garden Susan had cast her spell on the surfs of the water in the nearby fountain that was next to the table where the four women were sitting and drinking tea. They had heard the whole talk from before and Susan while disappointed that Will did not tell them understood her reasons.
"Well it looks like Will is going tomorrow if she likes it or not" Sade said knowing the young ranger's skill. Though still very weak compared to more experienced warriors, Irma's odds were very good against Will's still limited skills.
Yan Lin nodded her head sadly as she spoke "Yes, though the young has potential because of her gifted abilities they are only just starting to be brought out…unless she is has grasped the basic of reading her opponents moves" the old woman said getting Susan to turn to the old woman with a surprised look on her face.
"How did…" Susan was about to ask when Yan Lin raised her hand to silence the elf. "You are training a gifted much like your self in ability, with the exception of her warlock class of course. It is only natural for you to train her the same you were…how far has she advanced in Soaring Blade?" Yan Lin asked.
The other two women were surprised by that fact that Susan had taught Will Soaring Dance, but listened closely as Susan answered, "She has only started practicing the merging of basic swordsmanship and Dancing Leaf. If she used it now it she would be defeated faster then if she stuck to normal sword skills. And she is still having trouble reading moves in chess, let alone real combat" the Elvin woman said then turned back to the pool just in time to see the fight begin.
Irma made the first moved fully confident she would win but decided to hold back as she launched a thrust at Will with one end of her wooden weapon. Will barley sidestepped the blow even if Irma was holding back, not that Will knew that.
Will tried to slash downward with her wooden sword but Irma blocked and sent a light kick into Will's stomach. This did not hurt much but it did catch the half-elf by surprise and she stumbled backwards landing on her butt.
Irma waited for Will to get to her feet, already back in a stance waiting for the half-elf to attack this time. Will on the other hand did not know what to do. She knew she should attack and keep Irma on the defensive but was worried about a counter attack.
Will's only few basics about fighting from Susan and knew not to be forced to stay on the defensive for to long or she would be giving to much control to her opponent. 'But she countered so quickly after charging me with that thrust. How do I launch an attack against her?' Will thought to her self as got back up and stood in a defensive stance again.
Every one watching knew Will was hesitating too much. If this were a real battle, Irma would have finished her long ago. This only made it more important that Will went with them tomorrow. Though both Sade and Susan had checked to make sure the ruins were not too dangerous for the girls, there was always chance something might have moved into the ruins since the last check. This was more of a camping trip without adults then any thing else, but it would still be a learning experience from any minor creatures they encountered.
The other girls had some experience by being out with their parents or with soldiers on things such as hunts for monster or going into other ruins in the past, so they knew what to do. Will on the other hand needed what was often called baptism by fire. Even if Will only got into one battle it would help her make the first step in her real training.
'Every thing you go through until your first battle is just preparation for the growth Will, not the growth itself. So I hope Irma wraps this up soon' Susan thought as Will finally launched her attack hopping to score a hit to end the match. She attacked with a downward slash followed by a blow to the left and then to the right.
All three Irma blocked, noting that it was simple but effective combo but the speed and power were still way to low for it to work on her. Irma then saw Will trying to wrap up the combination by jumping into the air to perform one final downward slash and moved to block it.
Though the one thing Irma had not been counting on was Will putting all her weight down on her weapon and was trying to force Irma to her knees. Will also placed one hand on were the back of the wooden blade was to help give her more leverage as she forced the ranger down.
'Darn nice move dummy falling into this trap so easily. I should have just dodged and struck her while she was still in the air!' Irma scolded her self as her knees met the ground. This of course shocked every one as Irma was no weakling, and even if she was caught by surprise she should have been able to at least try and fend off the attempt.
"She over powered Irma…I don't believe it" Cornelia said in a quite tone that only the others nearby heard, getting an agreement from all of them.
"It's true she has Irma for now but in the end it won't matter" Taranee said being the best in the groups at analyzing these kind of things.
Cornelia looked at Taranee in shock "Are you watching the same fight Taranee? This match is going to be over any second now" the noble blooded druid stated as she pointed at the scene.
Taranee did not respond as she watched the match praying that Irma did not go overboard on getting even once she got up.
Will on the other hand thought she had won this fight 'All I have to do now is keep her like this until I can think of a way to score a hit' she thought then noticed a smirk on Irma's face.
"It's been fun Will but it's time for me to finish this" Irma said just before she threw Will off balance by throwing her weight to one side making Will fall over. To make things worse Will lost her weapon and before she could get up she felt something lightly strike her back.
"Got ya," she heard Irma's voice say signaling she had lost.
'Oh no' Will thought to herself, but quickly hid her fear and got up and faced Irma "Good match. I guess I'll just have to not hold back tomorrow" she said with a smile on her face. The smile was fake of course but it convinced the other girls.
The rest of the group came over while Irma patted Will on the shoulder "You won't hold us back, besides how much danger can there be if both Sade and Susan agreed to let us go alone?" she asked getting nods from the rest of the group.
"Ya Sade would not risk her only heir and daughter if she thought it would get Elyon killed or any of us for that matter," Cornelia said to reassure the new girl of their group which helped a bit.
'Ya that's right. If Elyon is Sade's only child, then she would never risk losing her. There probably won't even be any fighting so there's no need to worry' Will thought, realizing that she might not even need to use any of her skills let alone her warlock powers.
Mean while the four women were glad the match was over with Irma as the victor as expected "Will did well seeing how she has only fought against you in the past Susan," Yan Lin said noting Will could perform basic moves fairly well. She just needed to think of what to do faster.
Abele thought other wise unfortunately. She thought that it was to soon for Will to go out on something like this, even if the risk was low "Maybe she should stay behind or at least have the girls put off their trip for a while and have them train with her."
Susan looked at her friend a little hurt that Abele did not have faith that she could train Will enough to be able go on a simple exploration exercise with five more experienced girls to help her. "I think that would be a bad idea. The girls have wanted to do this for some time and it will be good for Will," Susan said hopping Sade did not agree with Abele.
Before Abele could argue her point again Sade spoke "Yes, it would be counter productive to tell Will that they could not go now that she seems to be more excited, now that Cornelia saw to it" The Queen said, then pointed at the fountain.
"Besides it looks like Will is getting some pointers," Sade added making every one look to watch what was going on.
Back with the girls Irma and Cornelia were helping Will learn that she could strike harder and faster then she did during the match. The pace was okay for when practicing with Susan because she was being told what to correct at the same time as they sparred. But during a real sparring match, it was all right to pick up the pace a bit and use your full strength and skill.
Of course even if Will had fought like this it would have not changed the out come but it would allow Will to better gauge her level of skill compared to her opponent.
To help her learn this Cornelia volunteered to be the one Will would fight. Since she was a druid she was closer to Will in combat prowess despite being as experienced as Irma. Druids were not weak in direct combat, but they were far better with magic and only fought with weapons when low on magic or when enemies got too close.
They started out slowly so Will could get used to sparring normally and build her confidence. After about ten minutes Will and Cornelia were squaring off for a match that in theory would be more even then the first.
Will being more confidant, now charged forward launching an attack against Cornelia. Cornelia blocked with expert skill but had trouble trying to counter Will's strong and fast blows.
It seemed now that every one could get a full idea of Will's physical ability they could compare her to the rest of the group. It seemed that Will was just slightly weaker then Irma in terms of strength but was a bit faster. The better speed was partially due to her half-elf heritage, but to gain that kind of speed so quickly either Will was already very quick or had special speed training.
"Could Lady Vandom be training Will in her sword style?" Taranee asked Irma, seeing how the ranger knew more about swordplay then her self.
Irma nodded looking a little jealous. She had wanted to learn Soaring Dance when she saw it as a young girl. But Susan said that would require her to leave home to train with her for several years, and with her mother being pregnant, and with just her little brother around, Susan said Irma was needed at home to help with the knew addition to the family and convinced her to stay with her family.
Hay Lin spoke so as to keep her friend from getting grumpy. "Hey no need for jealousy Irma. Your great with a double bladed sword and Soaring Dance needs you to use a single long sword. You would have wasted all your training if you switched now," this helped improve Irma's mood a bit knowing what Hay Lin said was true.
Back at the match between the gifted half-elf and the noble blooded druid, the tides were now turning. Cornelia had finally managed to go on the offensive and was showing that once again skill over came physical ability.
Will was barely holding onto her weapon because it seemed her opponent was bent on disarming her instead of striking her. 'I don't think I can keep this up much longer…unless' Will thought to her self with smirk that worried Cornelia.
'What is she planning…no matter I'll have her beat before she can pull it off what ever it is' the druid thought to her self as she made the next attempt to disarm Will. It worked but only because Will let go of her weapon confusing the druid just long enough to kick her in the shin hard.
"OW!" Cornelia screamed as Will quickly went to go get her weapon back. The other girls watching were laughing as Cornelia started jumping around on one leg while holding her other. They knew she had forgot all about Will who was now coming up from behind with her weapon and started poking her in the back with it.
This had signaled Cornelia had lost and the druid turned around in shock. While she lacked Irma's skill in combat, she should have, in theory, won this match. 'It had to be luck. That's all' the druid thought to herself as she tried to keep a level of dignity by making it look like the accepted the out come.
"Well I'll admit no one would expect that move" Cornelia said to Will with a smile on her face. Every one but Will knew it was an act, since they knew Will had injured their friend's pride a bit.
'Well she is at least trying to be civil, and Cornelia normally does not like to loose' Elyon thought to herself as she watched the two former opponents shake hands. After that every one went back to Will's room so they could talk about the trip tomorrow and learn more about their new friend.
Back where the four women sat, Susan waved her hand to make the image disappear and finally give the girl's some privacy. Susan then looked at Abele with a prideful smirk on her face "Still don't think Will should go?" she asked with a triumphant tone of voice.
"Susan don't start any unnecessary fights," Sade warned making sure Susan and Abele did not try to find who could blast the other into oblivion the fastest.
But it seemed Abele, aka The Mage was actually looking regretful at what she suggested earlier. "I do apologize Susan, though I would prefer it if some more experienced was with them, if they are taking a beginner with them" Abele said.
She did not have a problem with Will going. It was the fact that no one who knew how to deal with a panicking beginner would not be there if something did happen. Especially as said beginner would most likely be holding back a key aspect of her training.
Susan nodded her understanding at the other woman's concern "I would prefer the same, but I have double checked the ruins regularly and I never found any thing the girls could not handle. As long as Will follows their lead she will be just fine. Besides I don't think Will's the type to panic easily," the Elvin woman said hopping to relieve some of Abele's fears.
While it did helped a bit, Abele still did not like it. But she would accept the fact that Will was going, plus Susan was probably right and nothing bad would happen any way. After that the four women went to talk about more pleasant things and leave the concerns for the girls exploration behind them.
Later once evening had come, the girls were getting ready for bed when there was a knock at the door. "Come in" all six girls said at the same time making them stare at each other as the door opened.
Susan then walked in giggling at what happened. "Glad to see you are all in synch with one another," this had the girls picking up their pillows to show the Royal Knight how in synch they were.
But before the could start the assault Susan held her hand up and spoke "Will, can I talk to you for a minute? I just want to go over some things you may need to know for your trip," she said and left the room with Will following close behind.
Susan closed the door and gestured for Will to go sit on the bed wear a traveling pack was, as well as something wrapped in a large cloth. Once Will sat down Susan spoke in a quite tone so the other girls could not over hear "I know you did not tell them about your Warlock abilities Will. I wish you did tell them but I understand your reasons, but try to find the courage to tell them soon" this being said by Susan made Will look down and say "I'm sorry". Will knew she had disappointed Susan by not trusting her advice to tell the girls about all of her abilities.
Susan sat down next to Will and pulled the young half-elf into a small hug. "Don't worry, I know you'll find the courage sooner or later. Remember the world needs to learn to accept you and if some one does not then it's their fault not yours," she said as she comforted her student.
"Now lets move onto the second reason to why I brought you in here," Susan said and pulled the backpack over towards them. Susan opened it showing that it held several things inside. Some flasks of oil, a lantern, a bedroll, a small steel mirror, some torches, some traveling rations, a whetstone and some flint and steel. Hanging on the side was a leather water skin to obviously hold drinking water.
"These are your basic supplies, though you and the others will be getting some normal food when you leave. The rations are just incase of emergencies so you probably won't need them, but it does not hurt to be prepared." Susan explained, then pointed to the object wrapped in the cloth.
"Open it" Susan said simply with a smile, and Will crawled over to were the cloth was. After Will reached it she unwrapped the material to revel a silver colored chain shirt and a single edged long sword much like Susan's, only it was missing the emblem of the Royal Knights.
Unknown to Will the chain shirt was made of a metal called mithral a much lighter metal then steel, but just as strong if not stronger. Normal chain shirts would have been fine but Susan wanted Will to be as safe as possible. If Susan couldn't protect Will directly during the girls' adventure, then she would just do it indirectly by spending a little extra on the armor.
'Okay maybe more then a little extra but Will is worth it' Susan thought to her self knowing that mithral armor cost a bit but Will did not need to know any of this.
Will of course was looking over to Susan in shock with tears welling up in her eyes. Not even her friends gave her something like this, and in a loss of control she dove at Susan and wrapped her arms around her.
Susan was bit surprised of the action, though it was not entirely unexpected. Susan had not expected Will to have ever been given a gift, especially one this big. Will had buried her face into Susan's shoulder and a muffled 'thank you' could be heard by the Elf.
After a few moments in the embrace Susan noticed Will's breathing became more relaxed and steady making her realize the young girl had fallen asleep in her arms. 'The excitement of day plus this must have caught up with her' Susan thought to her self as she scooped the girl up and tucked her under the cover of Susan's own bed.
Susan knew the other girls would gossip most of the night and the Elvin woman knew Will would be woken up by all that. Susan wanted to make sure Will was fully rested for the trip so she would keep her here for tonight.
Susan then went over to the corner of the room were the door to Will's room was and knocked again "Will it's your room you don't need to knock!" Susan heard from the others knowing it was Irma being her self.
Susan opened the door looking straight at Irma "Sorry to disappoint you but Will's already asleep. At least I know one of you will be wide awake tomorrow" Susan said taking a shot at the girls sleep over ritual.
This had every one confused until Taranee spoke "How did she fall asleep? She has only been gone for ten minutes?" the dark skinned girl asked and all waited for Susan to answer.
"She closed eyes and fell asleep. How else?" Susan said with a grin as she teased the girl. Of course she quickly closed the door just in time to block the barrage of pillows flying towards her.
"Night girls" Susan called through the door and headed back to her own bed and packed the armor and weapon into the backpack. After she was done she climbed into bed next to Will and entered her trance.
Before her mind went blank Susan made a silent prayer that the trip would be filled with only fond memories for Will. Unknown to the Elvin woman, the memories would be memorable but not in the way anyone had expected.
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Next chapter is where the fun stuff begins I'll to have it out soon