Chapter 30
And So, It Begins
On a cold morning, Fillan was getting ready to exercise. Master Musashi had just called on him. Fillan was confused because he said nothing. Master Musashi told Fillan that he would begin practicing with the sword. He goes over and gets a wooden sword. Master Musashi draws Mana and pours it into the wooden sword.
"Fillan, you will learn the basics again; I made the wooden sword heavy like the real thing."
Master Musashi hands him the sword. Fillan feels the weight of it. Master Musashi shows him the basic stance; Fillan copies it and begins to swing the sword. After Master Musashi corrects him, he changes to doing some basic combos.
"Repetition is the key to making your body remember what to do. The more you do it, the easier it is to prepare yourself; it will become second nature."
Fillan also learns positioning, blocking, and parring. He practiced all morning; once that was done, Master Musashi took him to gather supplies. Master Musashi told him he must learn how to survive off the land. They go into the forest; he gives Fillan a notebook.
Master Musashi asks Fillan if he has read the survival books in the study. Fillan nods, and Master Musashi explains in detail what some plants do. Fillan writes down everything. Master Musashi is surprised by his intellect. Fillan looks at everything carefully.
"How are you able to memorize this so fast?"
Fillan told him he remembered hearing that long ago and understood everything he was taught when he was little. They were surprised and often questioned him; he then began to hide it, and studying felt boring.
"Who are they?"
Fillan stopped; he tried to remember. Master Musashi notices Fillan's Mana fluctuate. Fillan could not remember; they continued to gather plants. They return home, and Master Musashi teaches Fillan how to preserve the plants.
Later, when the sun was setting, Master Musashi was making dinner. Fillan was studying the uses of the crystals. He read the book Master Musashi handed him. He also looks at the crystals his Master has. He turns the page.
"It said that Dwarfs were the first to learn how to make them. Artificial crystals are classified by size and brightness; the size does not make a crystal powerful. The brightness shows the quality and how much Mana it contains."
Fillan picks up a crystal. It was dim, and the size was relatively small. Fillan looks at the book and compares it to its chart. The crystal was small, a five, meaning it was poor quality. He continues reading.
"Low-quality crystals are made for single use only. The crystals are tiered by number, five being the lowest and one being the highest. Dwarfs have created bigger ones, but they failed to hold the Mana. A crystal can't hold Mana for a long time."
He picks up another one, brighter and slightly bigger than the previous one. He looks at the chart. It was a tier-three crystal. He reads what it says; the crystals have different uses to them. A tier-five crystal is used to power a spell; a fourth-tier crystal is used for time spells. This means there is a limit to how long you can use a spell.
Fillan hears Master Musashi calling him; he puts everything away and goes upstairs. He sits at the table to eat. Master Musashi used everything they gathered that day. As they eat, Master Musashi tells Fillan that he will hunt tomorrow.
Fillan nods; he then asks his Master a question. He wonders how the crystals are made. Master Musashi told him that the dwarfs kept it a secret; he also told him that other nations had once tried to steal them. He said the dwarfs made a big business out of it. He mentions the elves also having their way of making crystals.
Fillan thought about it; they finished eating, and Fillan headed to bed. He goes to sleep and again has a strange dream. This time he was in a white room; he saw other human children. A person in white grabs his hand and injects something; Fillan wakes up. He looks at his hand; he hears his Master calling.
Fillan gets ready and heads out; it is early, and Master Musashi waits for him. Master Musashi takes a deep breath; you can see his breath when he breathes. He has a bow ready for Fillan. Master Musashi explains to Fillan how to look at and track animals.
They head out in search of their first target. Master Musashi shows Fillan all he needs to know about hunting: tracks and what to look for. He has Fillan look around the area; he slowly figures things out. They come across a deer and some rabbits.
Master Musashi tells him to focus on his prey. He tells him all sorts of advice. Fillan moves slowly to get a better position. Since he knows how to use a bow, he aims carefully. Fillan draws and releases; the arrow hits the deer in the side. The deer is startled and runs away.
Master Musashi tells Fillan to follow it. Fillan runs and chases the deer; he catches up and sees the deer on the ground. It was dying; Master Musashi arrived and handed Fillan a knife. He points to where Fillan needs to insert the blade. Without hesitation, Fillan goes for the heart. Master Musashi stops him. Fillan looks at him; he asks why he stopped him.
"A life about to be slain is serious; don't just end it. You must know why you are taking it. It may be for survival, self-defense, or show; never do it for pleasure."
Fillan thinks about it. Master Musashi offers a prayer. Fillan looks at the dying deer and places his hand on its chest; he inserts his knife and ends the deer's life. Fillan asks his Master about the difference between eating animals in the wild and those that look like people.
"I don't know, but faith or religion could be part of it; I know that the Wolf clans offer thanks to their ancestor after a hunt. You told me you didn't know about your culture but will one day."
They return the deer to the cabin; Master Musashi teaches Fillan how to clean and harvest it. He also teaches Fillan how to preserve it for later. Once they were done, Fillan continued his training. Master Musashi will have him learn how to defend and use other weapons. As Fillan trains, Master Musashi watches.
"Fillan, your perception to sense Mana is blocked; you slowly build some but don't realize it. Something about your past is holding you back. Once winter is over, you will face whatever nightmare is in your heart."
In a small town, the demon army finishes collecting supplies. The demon soldiers look at the town burn to the ground with dead soldiers and civilians everywhere. The commander of the demon army was going to tell his soldiers to rest when orders to advance came in.
"What are you thinking, my lord? Winter is around the corner, and supplies are low; the supply wagons are far behind us. Any advancement could be bad for us."
The commander could not defy orders and ordered his troops to form. They were wounded and tired. The dark troops returned to being boulders, loaded onto wagons. They march forward, nearing a hill. The commander could see his forces depressed; he looked up and noticed something coming down.
"Defensive spells!"
Fireballs rain down on the troops, causing panic; some could activate their spells while others weren't lucky. The demon troops scattered to save themselves. As they try to defend themselves, they hear loud voices; the demons look at the top of the hill; the human army is ready for battle.
Early winter, December 854, The human armies entered battle all across the lands; fire and smoke were visible from afar. The human troops have managed to stop the demon's advancing forces—soldiers on both side fall. Some demon forces were caught by surprise.
Demon forces on defense were able to repel the human attacks. Orders by the captains on both sides could be heard all around the battlefield. Mage troops were casting nonstop spells; they clashed with each other. The demons unleash the dark forces.
Goblin creatures and trolls moved to the front lines; the goblin hordes scattered the humans. The troll creature turned its hands into spiked clubs and began swinging them. The human armies regroup to fight them off; they cast defensive spells and boost their attacks.
The humans contained some trolls, but the goblins charged; sword troops intercepted the goblins. Demon sword troops countered them. They both used powerful sword magic attacks. The battles intensified and lasted several hours.
Exhaustion began to affect them; some human armies retreated, and the demons held their position. Camps sprung up, and they rested and healed, preparing for the next attack; messages began to come and go. They wait for orders from the top.
King John gets the first reports of the battles. He looked pleased by the results. He strategizes with some of his generals; King John wants his troops to hold until winter. He believes they could. His generals agree because it would be bad if they got caught in the snowstorms.
King John sends messengers to the front lines. He also sends builders to help build temporary strongholds. At the same time, some buildings for the refugees were finished, and some families moved in. This upsets other refugees; they make complaints to the nobles.
The people were sent to the information offices; they could find out what was happening there. Guards had to come and calm some angry refugees. The workers explained the process to them; all the people moving in first had all their information ready.
They take time to review their information; once approved, they call the families. Fliers are posted on the board for ready people. It was a stressful job, but they did it. Those living in the buildings were happy to sleep somewhere warm.
At the guilds, adventurers were picking up the quests; this involved them going to the front lines and helping out. Other adventurers just did business as usual. They were still divided about the whole situation. Some were gaining fame.
The demons fought fiercely, moving forward. Their path for conquest motivated them; battles began and ended all over the land. The demon forces won most of their battles; they pushed the humans back. The humans had many injured, making it hard to defend the territories; some nobles fought desperately and ended up dying.
King John reviewed all the reports he received; in one, it said the demon forces were slowing down. He later got another one that said they stopped advancing. King John was happy to hear that; he discovered that the elite troops they were training took longer to prepare.
King John was exhausted from reading reports and signing orders; weeks later worst of winter hit, bringing the battles to a standstill; the dwarf kingdom was still supplying the humans. King John wonders if King Sloan is reading his messages; he needs a reply.
"What is going on, Sloan."
On the mountainside where Fillan and His Master are, snow covers everything. Fillan trains hard, and his body looks ready for the next step. Master Musashi calls and tells him what he will learn next; he asks Fillan to feel the Mana inside him. Fillan closes his eyes and concentrates; he can feel something.
Master Musashi told him he had stored some Mana and wondered if he could sense it; Fillan was unsure. Master Musashi told him he had been improving, which was a good sign; he would teach Fillan how to use magic.
Before they started, Master Musashi received a letter. It was an update of the battles. He had been following it since the beginning; he read the message and was unhappy. Lord Mateo has pushed his armies too much and has suffered much loss.
"Lord Mateo, you should have stopped before the snowstorms; now it will be a battle to supply their forces faster."
Master Musashi turns to Fillan; he focuses on training him. Master Musashi places his hand on Fillan's head. Fillan suddenly felt a surge of energy; Fillan felt strange. Master Musashi told him he had shared some Mana with him. Fillan's body glows and feels heavy.
Fillan drops to the ground; it feels like he carries much weight. Master Musashi tells him he cast a defensive spell. This spell creates a layer of protection; Fillan asked why it felt so heavy. Master Musashi told him that magic must be taken seriously; it could be dangerous to misuse.
Master Musashi releases the spell and reapplies it. Fillan could feel the weight, but this time it was different. Fillan feels his body; some parts feel heavy. Master Musashi explains that his clothes are now as tough as iron. Fillan asks how.
"Magic is something we can't explain yet; however, we have studied and learned much about it. We used this knowledge and applied it to our way of life. For example, I used an earth magic spell; this spell mimics the aspects of the earth, heavy and resilient, but with enough training, you can make it even stronger."
Master Musashi talks about iron ores and how they are essentially more complex products of the earth; dwarves harvest it, refine it, and shape it to be whatever. Master Musashi explains that if you understand iron, you can make your clothes equal to or stronger than iron.
"This means that you could be walking into the battlefield with two sets of armor, but as I said, there are drawbacks to this; one set already feels heavy, but with two, you are placing more weight on yourself. You can make it lighter with other magic, but you will use more Mana."
Fillan moves around to try and learn about how it works. Master Musashi tells him that warriors use lighter armor and apply earth magic to strengthen it; he also tells him that there are far stronger materials. Dwarven steel and Elven silk are both products made by advancing magic research.
Master Musashi tells Fillan that these two products are close secrets of the producer. He starts with dwarven steel, durable, almost indestructible, and light—dwarfs created it after many years of hard work. They sell armor and weapons made with it, but they are expensive.
Fillan suggests they steal their metals if it is valuable. Master Musashi laughs and says that dwarfs are the only ones who know how to work with it. He explains that all armor and weapons are custom-made for the buyer. When the owner dies, it triggers a spell that disintegrates the metal.
"It is almost impossible to take their secrets."
Master Musashi then talks about elven silk, which is flexible and tough. He had little to say because they keep a tighter seal on its secrets. Master Musashi still hasn't got any new information on it. He does know that it is similar when the wear dies; it becomes useless.
Master Musashi tells Fillan to focus now; they will begin his training. He tells Fillan to stand in front of him. Fillan walks in front of him. Master Musashi hits and sends him flying back; Fillan hits a wall behind him. He walks out and asks why he did that.
Master Musashi told him to look at himself; Fillan noticed he was unharmed. Master Musashi tells him that the spell cast on him protected him. He said that all soldiers are expected to learn this spell first; it will help them survive on the battlefield. Master Musashi told him to come back.
"Keeping up a good defense spell consumes a lot of Mana; it is why you use crystals; they make fighting easier, but don't forget the time limit. Skill warriors constantly use multiple spells at a time; remember that."
Master Musashi tells him that all magic is the same; if he knows how it works, he will understand it better. All he has to do is practice and work hard at it. Master Musashi told him his training would change too.
"Fillan, we worked your body and put muscle in places you didn't know you could. Your body has to be in shape; it needs to handle the stress of fighting with magic. You will be fighting in all kinds of environments. You will need to prepare for them."
Master Musashi goes over his training schedule; he will train like usual on certain days. Sparing with him once a week will always be a different day. Fillan will begin meditation to learn how to feel his own Mana; he has until spring to learn how.
Fillan practice hard; He fought Master Musashi using what he knew so far. He attacked carefully and studied his opponent. Master Musashi used his swordsmanship skills. Fillan had trouble keeping up with specific attack patterns; he would attack with serious combo swings that Master Musashi easily dodged.
Fillan, on the other hand, manages to dodge some attacks but also gets hit. He remains calm; Master Musashi attacks; he gets ready to swing, and Fillan prepares to block. Master Musashi strikes with a greater force; Fillan tries to hold but gets sent flying back.
Fillan was fighting without defensive magic; he felt every single hit. They stopped when he could not move. Master Musashi would heal him after every match. It was cold up on the mountain, making his training harder, but he did not complain.
Human soldiers complained about the cold on the front lines, while others felt homesick. On the demon side, they trained to keep warm. The humans would see refugees making their way to territories. This kept some soldiers motivated to fight.
At the castle, King John was busy with some documents; he was getting irritated. King John has moved his office into a larger room. Staff members work hard to keep up with the paperwork. As King John works, Arthur, one of his generals, walks in.
King John greets him but stays busy. Arthur could see how busy he was. In the center of the room was a map of the continent. It had enemy movements, and troop positions marked on it. Arthur goes over to it and looks at it.
He then goes over to King John. Arthur sees how mad he looks. King John asked him why he was there. Arthur gives him a report of the southern front. He told King John that his forces kept the enemy at bay. He also reported that the dwarven armies are still not present.
"The workshop is running fine, but the castle has a problem. Some of my spies notice many dwarfs being arrested and taken away. This has something to do with King Sloan. King John didn't know what to say. Arthur sees all the paperwork on King John's desk.
He picked up a message to the kingdom about people asking for help. The letter stated that some families and people had gone missing; they were asking the kingdom for help. King John said that there had been an upscale of problems recently. Arthur told him he was happy not dealing with so much work.
King John asked him if he was there only to mock him; Arthur said he had to compare some information. King John asked him if he couldn't do it where he was stationed. Arthur told him he needed reports about the north which told longer to get.
"According to some of my scouts, some forces are moving north. They are stocking up on those boulder creatures; the south is in pretty bad shape because they are closer to their suppliers."
King John asks one of his assistants to bring him some reports. King John gets up from his desk and goes over to the map. Arthur moves some enemy forces where they said it was going. King John goes over the reports. He reads new messages and moves northern forces.
"John, this is bad; they have begun to do what we feared."
King John gets mad; the enemy has begun to close the center. They plan to divide the Umbridge Kingdom and the Dwarf Kingdom. Without each other, they are valuable to be overrun. King John has one of his assistants write a message to King Sloan.
He also asks Arthur to move his force to stop them; Arthur tells him his forces are already spread thin. King John thinks about what he needs to do. Yoshi's forces are keeping a path open for merchants and refugees. Cortez is overlooking the training of his new forces.
Arthur thinks of a plan. He asks about a naval attack. King John told him he was preparing in case they had a naval army; he wanted to save them for later. He asks about Ben; King John said he was protecting the high nobles and running security for the kingdom.
As King John thinks, he begins to get a headache. Arthur asked if he was all right; King John told him not to worry. He would be better after some sleep. After much thought, he has a plan; He will have the old guard move against the enemy. Arthur thought he was crazy.
"Those old geezers are past their prime. They rather argue about you and meddle in the kingdom's affairs. Why would you think they will agree to fight?"
King John told Arthur to return to his troops and prepare to attack the enemy. They need him to make the enemy return and defend. Arthur wasn't too happy about what King John was thinking; King John assured him it would work out. Arthur asks for supplies before he leaves and tells King John that he will see his sister.
Arthur leaves and has some papers with him. It was a long day for King John; he finished for the day and headed to dinner. Annalise was waiting for him; Stephanie was not there, so King John enjoyed dinner with his daughter.
Annalise tells him all about what she is learning; King John is happy listening to her. They finish eating and have a pleasant stroll in the garden. A messenger shows up and delivers a letter. Annalise was sad but knew her father was busy. Annalise tells him she needs to sleep for tomorrow and leaves.
The following day King John was in the throne room. He waits for the old guard; they demand an explanation when they arrive. King John gets to the point; he tells them the enemy is preparing for a big-scale attack. The older men have a hard time believing him.
One of the older men speaks out. Gerald Maximus, an old European-looking man; with white hair and blue eyes. He was in his sixties and wore noblemen clothes with military pins. He asks where he got the information.
King John has an assistant to give them the reports from Arthur and the northern front. Gerald asks if it is true. King John said he sent scouts to confirm it. Some of the old guard asked to wait then if he needed clarification. King John argued that it would be too late.
They ask King John if he has a plan; King John tells them he wants them to head the attack. They were shocked and wanted to part. King John told them his generals were busy with other matters. They suggest he send some new soldiers. King John denied it; he said they weren't ready.
Gerald told King John he could send them through before they closed in and have them attack from the rear. The others agreed and said that new soldiers could easily follow these orders. King John tells them they need to meet them head-on.
The older men laughed and told him it was a terrible idea. King John said he wanted to keep them from joining up; they would attack both sides before they closed. He hopes it will make them retreat and think of something else; in the meantime, the elite soldiers will be ready.
They were still hesitant; they discussed it. King John was getting impatient and offered another plan. He told them he would lead his troops. They argued it was a bad idea; King John said it would be better than having them keep arguing.
They discussed and told King John they needed a little time to decide. King John said they had until the end of the day. He gets up and heads out. The older men were upset with his thinking; they argued with each other.
Back on the mountain, Fillan was getting healed by Master Musashi; he told Fillan that he would move on to the next step of his training. Fillan told him he was just getting used to this training. Master Musashi said it would help him.
"You have been caged for far too long; I notice that your reaction time is slow compared to other beast men I've fought before. I taught you about surviving alone; you will reawaken your wild side, and at the same time, your final training will begin."