Chapter 29: Training Montage
"This is Melen, huh?" Taylor muttered, gazing out at the port town that was known as the Gateway to Orario.
She wasn't sure what she'd expected. Perhaps a part of her had thought she'd see Brockton Bay, Fantasy-edition. But was she got was a peaceful, resort-like fishing town with a remarkably Mediterranean feel to it.
Getting to Melen had been easy. A cart to carry their things and some monsters to ride, and they reached the town in just four hours. Since they'd left fairly early in the morning, it was almost noon by the time the Hestia Familia arrived.
There were numerous seafaring vessels docked at the port, carrying people and cargo from far off countries. Many traders came seeking fortunes, and hopeful passengers disembarked, hoping to join one of the many Familias in the City at the Center of the World.
Truly absurd amounts of riches passed through the port, and as a result the buildings were on par with those found in Orario's wealthier districts. The Guild had a strong presence in Melen as well, for many of the ships that arrived at the docks came for Magic Stones and other resources obtained from the Dungeon.
Melen itself was built on the shores of Lolog Lake, which was a massive freshwater lake that connected to the ocean. It was essentially Lake Ontario from Earth Bet, but rounder and deeper.
"It's beautiful," Emma whispered in awe as she stared out at it.
"I suppose it has a certain charm," Leo agreed.
"Wooo! Swimsuit time!" Silva cheered.
"You'll have time to play after we get situated," Taylor said, taking control of the group before they could split up.
"Right! What are we doing?" Hestia asked. "Where are we going to sleep?"
"There is an inn near the outskirts called the Green Pearl. It is cheap and has various sizes of rooms to rent, ranging from large communal ones to singular, one person spots. It also has a stable so Chris and Debbie can stay there as well," Taylor explained. "It's close to one the beaches, too, which is a bonus."
"How do you know all this?" Lili wondered. "Have you been here before?"
"I asked Eina," Taylor replied. "She knew a few things, and directed me to other Guild members who'd know more."
There was also a bit of cheating involved. Taylor used her swarm to read several maps and books relating to Melen, some of which were marked as 'For Guild Employee Eyes Only.' It worked, though, and she knew quite a bit about the town, at least on an academic level.
For instance, one of the things she'd learned was that the town was the home base for the Njord and Poseidon Familias, though the latter had been traveling the world and hunting monsters that'd escaped the Dungeon for the last fifteen years while the former acted as a sort of pseudo-navy protecting Melen and the lake itself from pirates and other threats.
As they approached the edge of the settlement, a lot of people looked up, shocked at the sight of monsters getting close to their town. This had been the reaction the Hestia Familia had received while traveling throughout the morning. Other travelers on the road and farmers in the fields had stopped and stared – and in some instances run away screaming – but for the most part, the sight of multiple adventurers accompanying them had prevented too much panic.
Melen lacked defensive walls, relying on fences to define the borders between what was the town and what was beyond it, which only worked due to how peaceful the area was. No army would be foolish enough to try and attack them, and monsters were culled and kept away from population centers like this one by the adventurers of Orario.
The party reached the Green Pearlshortly afterwards. Since it lay right at the edge of Melen, Taylor didn't have to worry about bringing her monsters into the city itself. The slack-jawed expression of the inn's proprietor when he walked outside and saw them coming was also quite amusing, though the parahuman kept any sign of her thoughts to herself.
"Good afternoon," Taylor said in greeting. "I would like to rent a few rooms and two spots in your stables for the next three weeks."
"Err, sure," the man said slowly. "Lemme just check with the missus…"
He went back inside as he said that, and began shouting for his wife. It was not fearful, though, but excited.
"Martha! Come quick! We got a bunch of city-slicker adventurers looking to rent some rooms!"
"Hot damn, Marvin! And you were worried about not having any customers during the slow season!"
Taylor smiled a little at the byplay that all of them could hear. Neither were very subtle. Though Taylor understood why they'd be so excited. Adventurers had a lot more disposable income than other people in the world tended to.
They were very clearly part of the limited Upper-Middle Class of Orario, and while a lot of money was spent on equipment and food, the rest could be used to buy plenty of luxuries and the like. For an inn in a town, even one as rich as Melen, adventurers staying for a few weeks would be a massive windfall.
Three rooms were bought and paid for when the owners were done celebrating their good luck. Bell even got a single room to himself. It was small, really more of a closet than anything, but it had its own bed, something he was very excited about.
"No more couch for me!" he declared happily.
The other two rooms were divided up between the rest of the Familia. Hestia, Lili, and Taylor got one of them, Lucia, Iris, Leo, Emma, and Silva got the second. As for Chris and Debbie, the former got to stay in the stables, while Debbie just burrowed under the dirt a little bit aways from the inn, as there was nowhere such a massive monster could stick around. Lastly, the Blue Papilio – that Taylor had decided to name 'Azure' – would sleep in the stable along with Chris, but in the rafters.
The next order of business was lunch, which they ate at the Green Pearl. Martha provided a lovely meal with plenty of seafood and fresh bread. It was excellent, and everyone
"Hestia and I have some errands to run in Melen," Taylor informed the group as they sat around the dining room table. "Take today off. Explore the town. We'll start training tomorrow."
That made the Familia members excited, and they quickly left to look around Melen. Hestia looked disappointed she couldn't walk around with Bell and the others (mostly Bell, if Taylor was honest), but she put on her game face and got ready to meet with the people in charge of the town.
Leaving the inn, Taylor and Hestia walked through the streets and headed towards Melen's docks. Everything in town revolved around them and the ships that came and went, for it was the lifeblood of Melen. Most of the people were fishermen or dock workers, and everyone else did something that catered to the former jobs in some way.
Their destination was the Noatun, a longhouse style building near the docks where the Njord Familia operated out of.
There were no guards standing out front, and people entered without worry, adventurer and regular person alike. The Familia's home was used by the fishermen and sailors of the town with a bar and tables for eating and drinking at. The interior was loud as people talked with each other, and aside from a curious glance or two their way, nobody paid anything attention to them as the duo made their way towards a table near the back.
"Heyo, Hestia," a tanned man with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail said, calling out from his seat at one of the long tables. He was shirtless, and wearing swim trunks and sandals. If not for the hum around him that sounded like the creaking of hulls and the splashing of waves, one could mistake him for just another one of the fishermen walking around the place.
"Hello, Njord!" Hestia replied happily, giving the man who'd claimed the name of the Norse god of the sea and boats a wave.
"So, what brings you to Melen?" he asked politely as he moved his plate to the side so he could focus on the two newcomers. "And with Weaver herself along for the ride?"
"We're going to be staying in Melen for a bit, let things cool down before returning for the War Game," Hestia explained as she sat down at the table across from him.
"Ah, and you wanted to give me a heads up? Polite of you," Njord commented, to which Hestia nodded.
"You do keep Melen safe. We thought it only fair you know, so you don't worry about any monsters walking around," Hestia said. "If anyone sees a black Crystal Mantis, a Blue Papilio, and a Dungeon Worm, don't panic. They're Taylor's."
"We also come bearing gifts," Taylor spoke up, taking a bundle out of her pouch.
"Gifts, huh? Well, I won't say no to that!" Njord said with a smile.
Taylor nodded and presented him with a large fishing net made entirely of spider silk. It was strong and sturdy, and she knew people of the Solomon Islands back on Earth Bet had used silk for fishing in the past, so it wasn't just a decorative item, but something even an adventurer could use.
Njord took it, his easy-going expression turning serious as he examined the net carefully, testing its tensile strength and durability.
"Well, I'll be," he murmured, impressed, before glancing up and nodding at Taylor. "Thank you kindly, Miss Weaver. Your gift is appreciated. Rod will definitely find it useful. And don't worry, I'll pass word along that nobody is to bother you or yours for any reason."
Unsaid was that Njord also would ensure nobody in his Familia would speak to Apollo or his goons, who would likely try to spy on them before the War Game.
"Do you know of any secluded places ten or so people could get some training in?" Taylor inquired, and Njord grinned, jovial mood returning.
"I sure do! Lemme see… there's a couple of private beaches, ranging from soft and sandy to painfully rocky. If you wanted to go all out and use your monsters as well, there's a hidden cove my Familia uses for their own training. Though I think you might find a few other places like that scattered about," Njord replied. "Where are you staying?"
"The Green Pearl," Hestia said. Njord immediately snickered.
"Rod is gonna have a heart attack when he gets back from the fishing trip," the god of water said under his breath, before looking back at the two visitors to his Familia. "I'll send ya a map in the morning that has a few spots you'll probably like. They're far enough from anywhere populated you can easily have plenty of privacy."
"Thank you," Hestia said with a grin. "Okay! Now on to the Guild branch!"
"Stopping by the local office?" Njord asked, his smile fading. "There's been a bit of a shake-up recently. The old head of the Guild here was arrested for corruption, so don't be too upset if people are a bit busy."
"That is a shame. Thank you for the warning, we will be careful," Taylor sighed. Corrupt officials were something she knew about all too well, though she was surprised one of them actually got punished for their crimes.
Heading to Melen's branch of the Guild was easy. It was located in the center of town, and was the tallest building around at three stories. It looked similar to the Guild building in Orario, and was clearly well taken care of.
Despite the size, however, there weren't very many people. Just two tired looking clerks in the Guild's uniform sitting at desks on the first floor, a couple of people working upstairs in offices, and finally an older woman in a much more opulent office space on the top floor, making a total of eight.
"Hello, welcome to the Melen Guild," a very bored rabbit-eared woman said, her voice monotone as she sat up a little when Hestia and Taylor approached her desk. "How may I help you?"
"Don't get a lot of business, huh?" Taylor asked.
"Ever since the Leviathan was slain and the hole to the Dungeon plugged up, the amount of adventurers here has gone down considerably," the clerk replied tiredly. "We usually just end up telling visitors to go visit the Guild in Orario. You'd think after Rubard was removed from his position things would change a bit more, but nah, same old, same old around here."
She then pointed towards a job board on a nearby wall. "If you are interested, we have quests. They're mostly requests to go fishing and merchant escort missions."
Taylor nodded in understanding, and was a bit intrigued by both. With her power, she could control lobsters and crabs and stuff a fishing vessel's nets full to bursting. If she could get a cut of the haul's profits, that might be a good way to make some money for their stay here.
The option of traveling with merchants to different ports around the world was an interesting idea as well. She'd never traveled much before her power, and then afterwards… well, by now, there probably wasn't much left on Earth Bet to explore.
"So, how may the Guild help you today?" the rabbit-woman inquired.
"We're just here to inform you of our presence in Melen for the next three weeks," Hestia said, handing over a few documents that bore the stamp of the Orario's Guild on them. "Here, copies of our Familia's registry, and copies of our Tamed monster registration forms."
It was a bit annoying to have to do this, but even if it was just a temporary thing, the entire Hestia Familia was no longer in Orario, and that meant paperwork.
"Oh. Oh!" the clerk exclaimed, blinking in shock as she realized she had VIPs in front of her. "I will take care of this immediately!"
"Thank you," Hestia said, flashing her a grateful smile, and the clerk bowed before hurrying off, taking the files with her.
"What now?" Hestia asked Taylor.
"Shall we find the others and tour Melen for a bit?" Taylor suggested.
"I like that idea!" the tiny girl said cheerfully.
Their first day in Melen had only just begun.
111 &&& 111
The next morning, just as promised, Njord sent his captain, a man named Rod, to the inn with a map of the surroundings. The black-haired Level 2 adventurer had a star-struck expression on his face when he met them, apparently becoming a big fan of both Bell and Taylor for their accomplishments.
Of course, his awe turned to embarrassment very quickly because it turned out his grandparents were the inn's owners, and they had a lot of 'fun' stories to tell.
"…and then, you know what he did? He threw his fishing rod into the water!" Martha said with a giggle. She was sitting at the breakfast table with the Hestia Familia, who were listening with wide grins on their faces.
"Gran, please!" Rod begged, his ego crushed by relentless tales from his childhood.
"Now, now, I'm just telling these lovely ladies about you!" Martha said, waving his words away.
"Um, actually, I'm a man," Bell said.
"More like a boy," Taylor muttered under her breath. He pouted at her, and she smiled back insincerely.
"Oh! I'm sorry, you're face was just so delicate I assumed!" Martha apologized. "Here, have some more biscuits as an apology!"
She loaded up his plate with a bunch of fresh-baked biscuits, ready to be lathered in honey or gravy. Bell accepted the food and ate up. His adventurer constitution allowing him to finish them in just a couple minutes.
"It's been lovely, Martha, but we really must be going soon," Taylor said a little bit later when it was time to head out for training.
"Of course dear! I'm sure you're all very busy," the matron of the inn said.
"Let me help you clean up!" Hestia offered. Since she wasn't going to be training, she wanted to have something to do all day, and helping around the inn would fit the bill nicely.
"So kind! If only my boy had been so helpful to his mother as a child. Oh, where did I go wrong?" Martha sighed dramatically, and Rod winced.
"Uh, let me escort you ladies to the training grounds!" he said loudly, his desperate attempt to leave the area obvious to everyone.
Taylor decided to have pity on him, and so allowed the young man to lead them outside of Melen.
"Sorry about my gran back there," Rod said, still a bit red with embarrassment.
"It's alright, my parents are the same way," Lucia said sympathetically.
"So, anything interesting happening in Melen?" Silva wondered.
"You just missed the Loki Familia, actually," Rod said, glad for the change of topic. "They came here to relax after their expedition. Got into a bit of a fight with the Kali Familia who were visiting as well."
"Really?" Iris asked, before nudging Bell in the ribs. "Looks like you'll have to see your girlfriend in a swimsuit another time!"
"A-Ais isn't my girlfriend!" Bell stammered.
"Oh? But I didn't say anything about her," the cow-girl said with a teasing smirk. He just groaned, giving everyone a good laugh, though Taylor noted Lili pouted a bit.
A few minutes later, they reached a stretch of shoreline that was a quarter of a mile away from Melen. It was obscured by a few steep hills and tall wild grass. The sand was not soft, and more of a scree slope that happened to end in water.
"It looks nice," Emma said, looking around.
"Isolated, but the hills provide a good vantage point. The water is also close, and there's no road or farms nearby. Perfect," Taylor said, nodding to herself.
"Well, if that's all, I'm off," Rod said, waving farewell. "Thanks for the net, by the way!"
Taylor just waved back, and when the captain of the Njord Familia was gone, she turned to her companions.
"What're we doing first, boss?" Silva asked, bouncing on her feet eagerly.
"For today, I won't be telling you what to do," Taylor said, much to everyone's surprise. "Instead, I want you all to pick something you're not good at and try to practice it. This could be anything. Do you have trouble cooking? Sewing? Writing with your left hand? Anything at all."
"How will this help in a fight?" Leo asked, raising her hand.
"Perhaps not directly, but it will help you with two things; perseverance, and self-reflection. The former is important in battle because you need to be able to keep on going until it's all over. For the latter, if you know what you need to work on, it shows you are capable of thinking critically, something not enough people are capable of."
Taylor then tapped a foot against the ground. "There's also the fact that the War Game can be literally anything. I investigated it, and a pie eating contest was the last competition that was held between the Apollo Familia and their victims, the Ratri Familia. So having an assortment of skills, no matter how dumb or silly, could mean the difference between victory and defeat."
"I see," Leo nodded, lowering her hand.
"Don't expect me to go easy on you tomorrow, though," Taylor said with a smirk, causing them all to shiver.
As the Familia broke apart to try and find something for themselves to improve on, Taylor moved to a distant and isolated stretch of land where she could have some privacy.
It was time to begin practicing magic, and despite everything, Taylor couldn't help but feel excited. And why wouldn't she be? It was magic!
Taylor took out the book on magic she'd gotten last night, several bookmarks already in it. She'd read it on the ride to Melen, and though it had contained some words and terms she didn't fully understand, as the whole book was written with the assumption of the reader having a ground in some magical theories beforehand, it was still a helpful guide.
There were several spells included in the primer on magic that Lenoa the Witch had given her, along with a couple of hand-written notes on proper spellcraft. Two of them were simple earth manipulating spells that would not work very well in the Dungeon, since whatever material it was made of was a bit too unusual to control via magic, but would work well for learning how to get started.
The first was Earth Spike, the same one Lenoa had demonstrated to the parahuman. The second one was simply called Hole, and it did as advertised, creating a perfectly circular hole in the ground one foot in diameter and one foot deep.
The Holespell was the more tactically useful of the two, in Taylor's opinion. A sudden pothole opening up beneath somebody would break an ankle, and even if it didn't, it would trip them up.
However, Earth Spikewould be good to start with as it allowed for a quicker visual representation of how much magic was being used every time it was cast.
'Test 1,' Taylor thought to herself as she drew the magic circle for the spell onto the ground.
"Arise, oh Mother Earth! Let stone awaken and rise so you may be honored! In the dust of ages you are eternal! Pierce, grow, and join your kin! Be as a mountain upon the horizon! Be as the fang of caverns below! Earth Spike!"
After intoning the spell, she felt her Mind drain a little and a spike shot up from the ground. It was faster than Lenoa's, likely due to using the Falna on the parahuman's back.
Taylor took note of the size, measuring it carefully, then prepared to cast it again, but with a few alterations to the magic circle. When it rose up this time, instead of a sharp tip, what arose was a flat-topped pillar.
'So, the modifications worked. Even with the same incantation as before, if the magic circle is changed, then so too will the shape of the spell itself be altered,' Taylor thought to herself, intrigued. She scribbled down some notes, and began to continue her experiments.
'What happens if I change the incantation itself, but keep the magic circle unaltered?' she wondered next, deciding to test this.
"Sleep, oh Mother Earth! Let stone crumble and collapse so you may be feared! In the dust of ages you are eternal! Sink, grow, and join your kin! Be as a canyon splitting the horizon! Be as the maw of caverns below! Hole!"
The incantation Taylor used was the one for the Holespell, instead of the usual one for Earth Spike. This time, the jagged spar of stone that shot out was riddled with holes, like a piece of Swiss cheese, and crumbled at the slightest touch.
'Curious,' Taylor mused. 'Is the incantation tied to the way the spell forms itself? Or does the structure of the magic circle matter more for that?'
Four and a half hours later, one thing she had learned for sure was that the incantation was as important as the magic circle itself. At first, Taylor had thought the chanting every spell required was a sort of mnemonic trick, to help people guide their thoughts and properly channel the mana. But as she soon discovered, the incantations were so much more. They were verbal components to the spell, just as integral as the magic circle.
You could cast a spell without chanting, but it would be weak, at least fifty percent as strong as it should be. The same could be said about a spell without the magic circle, resulting in a fifty percent reduction in overall power. And trying to cast a spell without chanting and without a spell circle would result in a spell being only ten percent as powerful as it should be, if it could even trigger at all.
And so, Taylor had to learn how to memorize the chants, even if she thought they were rather silly and embarrassing to say out loud. She soon discovered why magic was seen as useless unless used in conjunction with a Falna. Spells were slow and clumsy without it, requiring several minutes to set up a single casting, as well as needing more power than was possible for an unblessed caster to wield.
On the other hand, the way spellcasting worked for mages with Falnas was they would 'carve' the Spell's magic circle and incantation into their very soul, and thus have access to the spell whenever they wanted. They could not forget the incantation, and would always know how to cast it. The Magic Circle would also form as they cast, so no need to draw it every time.
She did have some advantages other mages did not, though. Her swarm could be used as an extra 'mouth' of sorts. When one of her bug clones 'spoke' the incantation, it would still trigger the Spell. It'd be slightly weaker, having lost a quarter of its potency, and the bugs used as a conduit would immediately die afterwards, unable to handle the magical energy pouring through Taylor and into them, but it was a still a Spell, and able to be cast anywhere within the range of her powers.
The insects also had another use: they could be shaped into Magic Circles as well. In fact, right in front of her, a line of ants was currently working to form a Magic Circle that would allow her to cast a single Earth Spike.
"Arise, oh Mother Earth! Let stone awaken and rise so you may be honored! In the dust of ages you are eternal! Pierce, grow, and join your kin! Be as a mountain upon the horizon! Be as the fang of caverns below! Earth Spike!"
Intoning the words for the Spell, the spike of stone stabbed upwards, but it was jagged and more fragile than the other ones she'd made on her own. Still, that was a new and versatile use of her bugs.
'So, I can make Magic Circles using my swarm. That's very good to know,' Taylor thought to herself. 'But they lack some of the power. At least 25% weaker than a regular magic circle.'
Casting the spell still used up the same amount of Mind, but with it being weakened due to the unconventional magic circle, it almost seemed not worth the trouble.
'Still, a Magic Circle made of insects and an incantation spoken through my swarm would still be viable in combat, as I could create the former far quicker than drawing one out the regular way, even if it's only be 12% as powerful compared to myself casting it,' Taylor thought to herself. 'How many magic circles could I create at a time and cast through?'
The answer to that question, it turned out, was 'as many as I want, so long as there was enough Mind to go around.'
"That was impressive," Taylor said aloud, staring out at the miniature forest of stone spikes that had risen from the ground in front of her. Over a dozen of them had appeared at once, all of them mishappen in some way, but still more than capable of hurting somebody if it slammed into them.
The drain on her Mind was a bit of a pinch, though. As best as she could tell based on the headache and feeling of exhaustion that came over her, a quarter of her total Mind reserves were spent on that single multi-spell cast.
'Combined with what I've already spent, I have less than a third of my Mind remaining,' Taylor mused, eventually deciding to stop for now in order to recover.
'If I could create a device capable of recording voices, I wonder if I could potentially cast minor spells whenever I wanted, simply by using the ambient magical energy of my surroundings and the recorded incantation,' Taylor thought to herself as she cleared up the small field she'd been practicing in. 'How did they make early recording discs? It was wax or something, wasn't it? An idea to experiment with. Later, though.'
She walked back to the others, who were doing a bunch of different things. Watching them try their best, the parahuman couldn't help but smile. It was great. She was proud of them.
'I am going to make them suffer tomorrow,' Taylor thought to herself, her smile turning into a sinister grin.
111 &&& 111
The next day dawn, and their breakfast was a lighter fare than the day before. As the sun crested the horizon, the Hestia Familia trekked to their training ground from yesterday, clad in their armor and equipment, ready to fight.
"We are going to practice some simple anti-person maneuvers today," Taylor informed the group. "The War Game against Apollo could be anything, but knowing our luck, it will be a straight up battle of some kind. The goal will be to get you used to fighting humanoid opponents."
"Lili, I want you try out your new Skill during training today," Taylor said, turning to the Supporter. She nodded firmly, just as eager to test it out.
The pallum's new ability she'd gained upon Leveling Up was an impressive one. Command Cry allowed her to shout orders and advice to her allies across large distances, and they'd always be able to hear them. She could be hidden behind several walls and her words would reach her companions. And nobody else could hear it.
How it designated 'allies' was a bit more ambiguous. Taylor was of the opinion it was a mental thing tied to the Falna. Thus, only people in the same Familia could benefit from it. Until they could test it with Welf, who was a trusted friend but from a different Familia, that would be the assumption they'd be working with.
The range was also unknown, but that would be something to test as well throughout the day.
"And now… we begin," Taylor said, snapping her fingers. All around her Familia spikes of stone shot up from beneath them, forcing them to dodge, while multiple bug clones formed nearby, creating mock opponents. And with that, the fighting began.
Magic Circles formed by ants and other insects had been scattered around the field, and Taylor would activate them at random, using it to simulate magical attacks from enemy mages. The goal was to defeat these pretend mages.
The bug clones acting as mages had fireflies within their mass, and they would glow before one of her Magic Circles would activate, giving a visual tell for her Familia to act off of.
"Iris, six o'clock on the left!" Lili called out, and the cow-horned girl obeyed, swinging her sword through the bug clone Lili had designated and destroying it. She had her Bronze Bull Skill active, the heat of her shard-based power incinerating the insects.
"Emma, jump! Silva, behind you!"
The two adventurers obeyed, the former leaping high to avoid an Earth Spike, while Silva ducked low and spun around, smashing her mace through the 'neck' of the clone. As for Emma, when she landed, she 'cut' one of the clones down.
"Lucia! Move up to support Leo!" Lili instructed.
The seamstress started to run towards Leo, who was being overwhelmed by bug clones. She disappeared in a burst of light, reappearing near Leo. The shockwave of her momentum redirecting effect of teleportation disrupted the clones, buying the blue-haired swordswoman time to catch her breath and recover.
Lili's eyes swept across the battlefield while also staying on the move, never allowing the clones to corner her. The Supporter's orders came quick and fast, her perception and reaction superior to the others. Only Bell had better reflexes, but he relied on Lili's words to cover his blind spots.
"Bell! Eleven o'clock! Use knives!"
"Got it!" Bell called back, and he flung his throwing knives towards a 'mage' clone. The tiny daggers pierce the clone's 'head' and Taylor let it collapse.
The frantic battle lasted a bit longer, but after half an hour, everyone was starting to get tired after going full throttle the whole time, so Taylor clapped her hands and dismissed her clones, ending the session.
"Well done," the parahuman praised. "Iris, excellent work, your footwork has improved, you're able to evade enemy attacks much more easily. And Lili? Your new Skill is very impressive and you played your support role quite well."
She turned her attention to the rest of the Familia. "Lucia, your handling of your saber has grown by leaps and bounds. You don't fight as if it's a rapier, anymore. Silva, you always followed orders and worked well with others. And Bell? Your aim with throwing weapons has improved."
"Now for the points I noticed you need to improve on," Taylor said, and everyone's smiles faded a bit. "Leo, you need to work on responding to orders better. You often hesitated when Lili gave commands. If you think they made the wrong call, say so, but only after you've accomplished what they've asked for. This, of course, doesn't apply if you feel like you are truly in danger, but keep in mind this is a cooperative measure. Something you need to work on a bit more as well, Emma."
"E-eh?" the pink-haired girl uttered nervously.
"You were quite good, but I can tell you're used to working alone. You don't understand how to fight with other people around you," Taylor explained. "You often hesitated to act when somebody was too close, and wouldn't try to attack a target if somebody else is targeting it. One-on-one duels are for stories. When fighting, if you can team up to take something down faster than always do so."
"Um, yes, I'm self-taught," Emma said. "And my village didn't really have any other people to training with."
"It's okay, everyone starts off not knowing how to fight," Taylor assured her. "You'll learn."
"Of course! I won't let you down, Miss Taylor!" Emma replied.
"Good. Next, was there anything else you guys noticed that needs improvement?" Taylor asked when they were all resting after the hard workout.
"We need more ranged options," Bell said with a frown. "Lili's crossbow and my throwing knives are not nearly enough to cover all of us."
"I can learn!" Silva volunteered. "Think I should get a bow or a crossbow?"
"I'd also be willing to branch out a bit and learn something aside from my twin swords," Emma offered as well.
"Thank you. As for what you might be best with… I think a bow of some sort," Taylor suggested. "You're both fairly tall and can handle a bow with your current Power stats. A composite short bow would likely work better for adventuring in the Dungeon, and is just as good outside of it."
"I bet they sell bows in Melen. We can buy some and experiment with them," Bell suggested.
"Excellent idea. We worked on things you weren't great at yesterday, so tomorrow, we'll all work on learning something new," Taylor said. She then grinned which had them all tense up. "But I think we've rested up enough. Time to get back to the grind."
All around her, the swarm buzzed eagerly, and everyone groaned but raised their weapons. Back to the grind, indeed.
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Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! If you'd like to read two chapters early, check out Akashicrecordstrue over at Patty-ron, or if you just wanna support the writing process! Every dollar helps!