(Forgive the occasional faults in grammar, still getting back into the flow of things. Please review)

The breeze from the ocean was the only relief found in the temple on an otherwise still and hot day. The sound of waves crashing against the beach on the base of the temple filled the air along with the cries of venturing seagulls. Not a cloud was in the sky for the eighth day in a row. While the wind slowly pushed the stuffiness from the inside of the temple, Anders Jakobsen awoke from his dark sleep to the bright shine of the sun's morning rays. His shaggy bright blond locks hung with perspiration and he moved them aside with his hand. Another breeze swam over his heated muscles as he stood up to greet the day with a smile. Anders liked to smile even when the circumstance called for none. He was someone who had always tried to find the best out of any situation he was in. the first thing that he went for was a nice cold bath along with the other students. He threw on his pants before headed down to the mercifully cooler bathing caverns.

Anders was a short man for his age and build. At a mere seventeen years of age, he still had the baby faced appearance of youth but his body spoke of someone with untold strength and potential. Where most of the other students had partially developed muscles with thin frames, Anders had a build of well-defined and firm muscles. The other thing that differed Anders from the other students was the fact that he was well under the average height of the other students. His powerful body only came up to a mere 5'5, almost half a foot shorter than most.

As Anders proceeded down the stone stairs to the bathing caverns, he passed the young Gnome named Keetae. Keetae was a lovely female Gnome with a reputation and spirit that far outweighed her short stature of 3'1. Her skin was a light shade of violet on a thin but firm frame. Her long purple hair was wild from the previous night's sleep as well as the humidity to add a crazed overall look to her. Anders laughed as she quickly rushed by with her arms filled with scrolls, each a new concept to improve the weapons and armor that they were trained to use.

"Move Anders!" Keetae blurted out with her usual rushed tone. If the days were twice as long it still wouldn't be enough time for her to finish all she had planned for the day. The rarity of seeing her out of her workshop was the indicator to Anders that he had awoken much earlier than he usually did.

"Akar will be happy I won't be late today," Anders mumbled to himself with a smile.

"You'll somehow find a way to disappoint him, Andy." The voice came from one of the side halls that Anders was passing. He turned to see the Half-Elven Tamar. Tamar's slender build hid his inner strength but pronounced his natural agility. His bow slung over his shoulder with his notebook chained to his belt. The silent approach of his leather boots always caught Anders off guard. His pointed ears were pronounced by his shortly cropped black hair but they gave him superior hearing to almost any other student in the temple.

"I may surprise you and be there ahead of anyone else," Anders responded with his trademark smile.

"You're already late. Everyone's at their lessons. I just finished mine, actually." Tamar motioned to the empty halls. Anders looked around and sighed. Tamar laughed.

"I'm kidding. You're actually up before most anyone else. Probably because you didn't stay up practicing like Akar said to."

"I had a good day, I figured I earned some time off." Tamar walked over and flicked Anders' nose.

"Sure you did." Ander scrunched his nose as usual and watched Tamar walk past.

"Lessons are at 8, today. I'll hold you to being there first."

"You got it." Anders went back to his quest for a cool bath. When he reached the final stairs to the cavern he was struck by a cool chill that sent a shiver down his spine. Upon entering the cavern he make a quick scan to see if anyone else was there. When he made sure he was alone, he stripped down and dove into the cleansing waters. He came up with a loud splash and shook the water from his blond locks. He quickly washed off the sweat that had accumulated the previous day and night before just resting on the surface of the water, looking up at the ceiling lost in the thought. The water covering his ears concealed the approach of several students and he was unaware of their arrival until one jumped on his stomach. With a gasp of surprise he broke from his trance and tried to pry the Halfling off of his back.

"Look what I caught! A rarity in these parts!" yelled the young Halfling as he dodged Anders' flailing arms. A few laughs came from the entryway but a voice overshot the others.

"Get off him, Kiwi," chuckled a strong and well-built human by the name of Umber. Umber was the best student of their class and excelled as a swordsman, spearman, and horseman but his true strength lied in his unarmed capabilities. His strong build matched Anders in terms of strength but found itself stretched more naturally over a tall 6 foot frame. While Umber was at the cavern, he wore his training gi which made it clear he had no intent of getting in the water. He used his quarterstaff to reach out and poke Kiwi the Halfling off of the flailing Anders. Kiwi fell of and quickly was put into a headlock by Anders who hooted in victory.

"Cheater!" came the muffled shout of the defeated Halfling. Umber sat on one of the rocks by the cool water and rested his staff next to him. Anders finally released Kiwi and Kiwi quickly swam away. "I'll beat you one of these days," Kiwi promised with a playful fist shake. While not a very physically imposing individual, Kiwi was one of the smartest in terms of tactics and understanding situations but he had always strived to best Anders using his own small muscles. Why he wanted to do this, Anders could never find out. His training partner dove under the water and began to do laps around the cavern. Umber crossed his legs and sat by the waterside as Anders dragged himself out of the waters to put on his pants. Umber sighed and tossed him a towel.

"Dry yourself off first." Anders nodded in thanks and wiped down before dressing. Kiwi continued to swim as Raquel, a fellow martial artist with Umber, appeared from the shadows and complimented his victory over the mighty Halfling warrior. Her long brown hair brought out of the olive complexion of her skin and the green shade of her eyes. Training had formed her into a strong warrior but her voice and touch were as soft as a spring breeze.

"Thanks, Raquel." Anders hoped the chill of the water was giving enough red to his face to conceal his embarrassment of being exposed in front of her. He had never been too good when it came to contact with women in ways other than mere friendship. She was young, like all of the students, but she had matured slightly faster than the others and she had caught his eye when he first got there as a ten year old. She and Umber had been paired up as training partners when they passed their preliminary training at twelve and Anders had been given the downright puny Kiwi. Anders looked at the fast swimmer and sighed. They were so different and he was upset at first when their names had been called together for training but the charm as well as different style of Kiwi forced Anders to use more than his muscles, even if his mind wasn't the most adept at thinking situations out. Kiwi was a pain but he was always there when Anders needed him most and for that he thanked him. As Kiwi finally decided to get out of the water, Anders looked at his towel and tossed it to Kiwi. Anders smiled as he left the cavern to the sound of Kiwi's curses and attempts to dry out his training gi.

Anders followed through on his promise and was there ahead of everyone else. The bath was refreshing and filled his eyes with excitement and energy as he put on his training gi. The training grounds had always been one of Anders' favorite places since it was a grass covered overlook of the ocean with waterfalls one each side down to the ocean below. It was incredibly peaceful when one was alone but during training it was the place of competition and many bruises. Today seemed to be sparring day as he could see the makeshift circles of stones had been set up. He tried to find a source of which weapon they would be using but found none in sight. That meant wrestling. This sent a wave of excitement through him. Wrestling was his favorite as well as where he excelled. It was also one of the few things he could match Umber at. After about ten minutes of waiting; Umber, Raquel, Tamar, Keetae, and Kiwi approached in a babbling mass. They all sat in the grass and spoke of their evenings as the breeze lifted some of the humidity over them and when the bell finally struck eight bells, they all stood up as Akar approached with his fellow instructor, Cadimus.

"I take it you all slept well?" asked Akar.

"Yes, master," they all responded. Akar wore a simple white training gi which matched the grays appearing in his hairline. The growing wrinkles on his face were a deception for anyone to assume he was past his prime. His body indicated strength despite his age expressing attrition. He stood before them with Cadimus, his Gnome co-instructor. Cadimus was an older Gnome with dark red skin and piercing red eyes and had acquired the nickname "Little Devil" from the students both for his appearance and training sessions. His size was the downfall of many large and brash students. Having staved off the bleaching with many decades of study and practice of martial arts of all sorts, he was always a terror when a student stepped out of line or refused to accept one of his opinions as fact. They all bowed deeply to Akar and then to Cadimus, both of whom responded with a nod, a sign of seniority.

"Today we practice several things but the main shall be wrestling." Akar looked over to the giddy Anders as he said this, "We shall practice technique instead of strength, thus why I have brought Master Cadimus with me to help instruct on this matter. Is everyone clear?"

"Yes, master." The response was quick and filled with respect. Akar smiled at his students as they all stayed in the resting position, hands behind their backs with their chins up and maintaining eye contact with him.

"Aren't you excited, Master Cadimus?" Akar said knowing of the hard day planned for them.

"Always am, Master Akar," Cadimus responded with a slight smile, the bane of every student to pass through the temple walls. He looked over at Kiwi who tried to avoid pointing himself out to the Little Devil. "Nordon!" Cadimus stated, using Kiwi's real name.

"Y-yes master!" Kiwi responded with his strongest sounding squeak.

"You will run warm-ups."

"Yes master!" Kiwi blurted again. He trotted out front and began to initiate the warm-up. Light kicking, punching, stretching, and jogging ripped any remaining ache from their muscles and readied them for the long hours ahead.

As the hours passed, it became clear to both the students as well as the two masters that the ones taking the lesson best were Umber, Anders, and Tamar. Kiwi was put into the demonstration drill with Master Cadimus who proceeded to hurl the little Halfling around the ring for almost five whole minutes to demonstrate throwing technique and then followed up with a variety of locks on the arms, legs, and neck. When they were paired with their partners, Anders held back to give his battered and bruised friend a much needed break. Kiwi landed a couple good maneuvers and even managed to knock Anders off balance with a throwing technique but Anders was too dense and Kiwi too thin. Anders eventually overpowered the small Halfling but found the experience in this as trying to wrestle a small opponent had its own strengths and weaknesses from wrestling a similar sized opponent. After an hour of open sparring with their partners, the rotation began. Anders found himself with Tamar and tried to avoid simply overpowering the Half-Elf. While Anders held the clear advantage in strength, Tamar was quick and difficult to grab. His limbs held surprising flexibility and he could squirm out of almost any hold Anders attempted to finish him with. Tamar managed a few good locks and almost beat Anders with a well-timed arm lock but Anders managed to slam Tamar into the earth to loosen the grip and then initiated his signature arm trap throw. Trapping Tamar's arm against his body, Anders locked both of his arms together across Tamar's waist and lifted the Half-Elf right into the air and hurled him right onto his back. Tamar slammed to the ground as a gasp signified the wind being knocked clear out of his lungs. As Tamar rolled on the ground, Anders stood with a proud look on his face before checking to be sure his friend was alright. The move caught some people's attention and several of the young students who were learning basic swordplay abandoned their lesson to watch. The children's instructor, Grandmaster Murrow, walked over leaning on his cane in hand and decided to watch along with them. Anders smiled at the kids but Cadimus quickly barked out at Anders.

"Your trapping of the arm was loose and your footwork sloppy. Do it again."

"Yes master," Anders sighed as he helped Tamar back to his wobbly feet. The children giggled at the stumble in Tamar's step and it even gave Master Murrow a chuckle.

"I think his technique was quite exquisite, Master Cadimus," Grandmaster Murrow stated. Cadimus looked at the ancient Elven Grandmaster. "It looks like his partner got a quick nap after the impact as well. May I suggest a break?" The Gnome looked at the remaining students who were quite tired as well.

"A good suggestion, Grandmaster. I think it's time for lunch anyways." The Gnome left as the others helped Tamar to a bench and gave him some water. Akar looked Tamar over as Grandmaster Murrow approached them. Each student gave a deep bow to the man who was their very first instructor. He moved Akar aside and looked over the harsh bump on the back of Tamar's skull.

"You have impeccable strength, Anders," said the Grandmaster, "But you lack control. Training is a time to better your partner, not batter them to a pulp." Anders flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Grandmaster." Grandmaster Murrow looked at Akar.

"He's done for the next few days. Arcane studies for all of them. This heat will get to any of us at this rate." Akar bowed at the statement.

"Of course, Grandmaster." The children ran up to Anders squealing for joy at the strength he displayed.

"You're great, Anders!"

"Can you show me how to do that?"

"I bet you can even throw around Master Akar." The flurry of comments overwhelmed Anders as he tried to calm them down with smiles and thanks.

"Thank you but I'm no match for Master Cadimus." Grandmaster Murrow attempt to usher the children back to their studies was met with a flurry of complaints.

"But Master Murrow I want to see them wrestle some more," came a young girl's voice of protest. Grandmaster Murrow rolled his eyes.

"They are taking a break and will likely be going to their books for the rest of the afternoon. How about this. If I tell you all a story about Master Cadimus will you go back to your lessons?" The children squealed for joy and quickly sat down around the old Elf. He looked up to see the older students had grabbed their lunch from their bags and sat behind the children eating. Master Akar smiled and quickly grabbed a chair for Murrow. Murrow sat and let out a sigh as the pressure on his knees was alleviated. He rested his cane on his thighs and leaned closer. "This is the tale of when Master Cadimus and I were on a mission long ago to find the horrible King of the Swamp Giants, Krokur."As the Grandmaster proceeded with the story, Master Akar made sure the others were wrapped into the story before sitting down behind the older students and listened along with them.

As the day drew to an end, Anders made his way to Tamar's room. The Half-Elf was in bed with a book in his hand wearing just his night pants. Anders peeked in and Tamar looked over from his book. Anders let off a nervous smile.

"Hey buddy. Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, a bit. I think I'm done with wrestling for a while." Anders entered the room and closed the door behind him as he walked over and sat on Tamar's bed. Out of his gi, Anders pulled out a small batch of cornbread and handed it to Tamar. Tamar looked up at him.

"Where did you get this?" Tamar asked inquisitively.

"It's from my dinner tray. I know it's your favorite."

"It's your favorite too." Anders didn't say anything. Tamar sighed and took it.

"Tell Kiwi I'm sorry." Anders laughed.

"He doesn't have a clue. Best to just keep it between us." He patted Tamar on the chest and stood up to go.

"Chess tomorrow?" Anders turned back with a reluctant stare.

"But tomorrow is our day off. I was going to go swimming at the beach."

"I'm dazed, not crippled," Tamar responded, "I'll come with as long as you carry the chessboard. You owe me that at least."

"I got you cornbread!" Anders stated with a frown.

"Not enough." Tamar retorted. Anders released a deep sigh.

"Fine. I'll carry the damn chessboard." Tamar smiled and went back to his book.

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