More Training

I wish I had a cellphone to take pictures of this scenery. As we are about to come out of the mountains, we can now see the hill valley towards Katuranos, the capital of Orion. I wish I could save this image forever.

“Dad, is there anything that can take this image and save it forever?”

“You mean like a magic that makes art?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“There is no such magic. Why would you want to replicate this image?

“For multiple reasons, to remember when I forget, to show it to Mom and everyone back home... what else?”

“Maybe if we forget this scenery, then it’s because it was not important to remember. Or if we feel nostalgia for this place, perhaps we can retake the trip and enjoy ourselves with the whole family next time. It is not the scenery that makes this moment special, but the fact that we are together, enjoying ourselves on this trip.

“I guess you are right. Next time we come with the whole family.”

…

Albus and I continue training, trying to catch a chancho. We are certainly becoming stronger with this training. We are also training with the adventurers in close combat and magic. They are teaching us when and how to use magic in battle.

“You must always know where your teammates are. You don’t want to strike them with your magic unintentionally,” said Phaedrus, the leader of the adventurers. “Also, always listen to the voice of the leader giving instructions, and if you notice anything, don’t forget to make clear communication about it.”

“How strong are you, Phaedrus?”

“Adventurers go from F to A. I’m a B-class adventurer. So, I’m pretty strong.”

“What class is Mom Dad?”

“Mom is C-class, not because she is not strong, though. She hasn’t led a party. She doesn’t care about the ranks.”

“That’s right. Being strong is not the only requirement to advance to higher classes. To be an A-class adventurer, you have to have led a party, worked on all continents, done jobs for the kingdom, at least be able to use four magic types, and killed certain beasts.”

“Why do adventurers want to advance in classes?”

“The obvious reason is that the higher the class, the more jobs there are with higher pay because there are not many adventurers that are higher than C-class. However, there are other reasons. For instance, most adventurers are slaves. Once you become an A-class Adventurer, you can participate in the Coliseum Games, and if you win, you get full freedom. That means the ability to apply to public office, vote, get married, and use resources from the state.”

“But Phaedrus, you are not a slave. Why are you an adventurer?”

“I was a soldier and got tired of following orders. I might be free, but there is a freedom of being an adventurer to choose and decide and be weighed by your own merits, which I like. However, the most important reason is that I want to apply for the public office of adventurer's guild master. To be one, you must be free, have gone to the academy and work for five years as a soldier, and be an A-class adventurer.”

“Wow, an Adventurer’s guild master. What are you missing to become one?”

“I need to become stronger and also visit all of the eastern continents. It’s going to take me a couple of years to be an A-class adventurer.”

“Phaedrus, why not a mock fight with me. I’m curious to see how strong you are.”

“Mr. Paulus, I’m afraid I can hurt you. Maybe we could fight without using magic.”

“Ha ha ha. Phaedrus, you can only use boost magic against me. Don’t judge a pudu by its cuteness.”

“You think you can take me head-on, Mr. Paulus? You are underestimating me. Don’t blame me if you get hurt.”

“Dad, are you sure about this?”

“Aren’t you curious, Cato? I have only battled against your Mom and lost every fight. Phaedrus seems to be strong. I will give up if things go south.”

“I will use a wooden sword.”

“I will use my wooden club.” By now, people were curious about this practice match.

“Look, leader Phaedrus will fight that guy, the blacksmith.” People were commenting.

“He doesn’t have a chance. I have trained with Phaedrus before.” Said an adventurer.

“Let’s hear your bets! Come on, people! We have a show tonight!” The merchants love to make money out of anything.

All adventurers were betting on Phaedrus. However, I was surprised to see some merchants betting on Dad.

“Come on, Paulus! Show them how strong a craftsperson can be!” Some merchants were saying out loud.

In a culture where strength is everything, a fight match is exhilarating. I’m also excited about this. It reminded me of my jiu-jitsu classes. Fighting against an opponent that seems bigger and stronger than you is thrilling. Plus, people always love the underdog story.

“Come on, Dad, you got this!”

“Go, Master Paulus!”

“On guard, ready? Go!”

“Fire boost!” Said Phaedrus without using incantation. He used magic to boost his body, making him stronger. “Come on, Paulus,” Phaedrus noted while making a sign to Dad to come closer.

Dad jumped forward and swung his club right at Phaedrus’s ribs. He has never used this much strength in my training matches. Phaedrus parried with a quarte using his sword, but he wasn’t ready for Dad’s strike. It’s hard to measure Dad’s strength because of how big his body is. Phaedrus probably wanted to block quickly to jump into an attack. However, he received Dad’s strike head-on. Phaedrus flew across the ring, knocking some people in his way as the force of the impact dragged him. He had no apparent damage. He was able to cover his body with magic.

“Oh? Paulus, you surprise me. You are strong,” he said, standing from the ground.

“Ha ha ha! Thank you, Phaedrus.” People were clapping in excitement.

“Air boost!” Suddenly, Phaedrus started attacking Dad at high speed.

Dad was blocking consecutive attacks. However, some of those strikes were hitting him where he could not protect himself with magic, leaving some marks.

“I’m finishing this fight now, Paulus!” Said Phaedrus lunging forward for a high strike. Dad went to parry, but it was a feint by Phaedrus. Using all his strength, he kicked Dad in the abdomen, dragging him backwards. However, Dad grabbed Phaedrus’ heel, and with all his strength, he slammed Phaedrus’ body against the ground four times.

When Dad stopped his attack, everyone was silent. Phaedrus' body seemed to be unconscious, and his nose was bleeding. Unexpectedly, Phaedrus opened his eyes and said, “Fire!” A wave of fire hit Dad directly in the face, and he rolled to the ground, screaming.

“Water!” The adventurers immediately moved and through water magic at Dad.

“I give up. I can’t fight direct attacks of magic. Ha ha ha.” Dad was okay with his eyebrows burned and smoke coming out of his head. Phaedrus, on the other side, was bending, holding his knees, breathing heavily, with blood in his face, and his clothes all dirty.

“That’s cheating! Paulus can’t use magic! From the start, we said only boost magic!” People were furious with Phaedrus.

“You guys are right! It’s my fault. Paulus put me in a corner. My body just reacted to save my life. Paulus is the victor of the fight,” said Phaedrus.

“Hurray!” Everyone was happy cheering Dad.

“Phaedrus, you are strong. Don’t take this match to heart. You can easily beat me any day of the week.”

“Paulus, you surprise me. You are pretty strong. I fear for my life in a moment there. Thank you, now I think I need to train harder, I cannot be so dependent on magic to survive.”

“Dad, are you okay?” I came close to where he was sitting, hitting his face with my water magic.

“I’m ok- glub glub glub -kay.”

“Dad, is he stronger than Mom?” I said smiling

“What do you think?”

“Mom can fight you head-on by only using boost fire magic.”

“That’s right. I cannot stop a kick from your mother with my abs.”

“You did great in this fight, though. For a moment, I thought you could win even against direct magic attacks.”

“I wish, princess, but I cannot use enough magic to cover my body; I can only cover as much as the palms of my hands.”

“You are the winner in my heart, Dad.”

“Thank you, princess.”

…

By the end of the journey to Katuranos, the capital of Orion, Albus and I can successfully endure a chancho’s attack.

“Okay, now that you both can catch a chancho. You can kill it to eat it for lunch.”

“But Dad, chanchos are so cute. Look at this one!” I was holding the chancho in my arms, patting it. Now that I look at it up close, I know for sure this is like a pig species. They are precisely the same. The only difference is that it has long hair that covers its entire body.

“Princess, the point of capturing one is to kill it for food and also to control its population. The gods put us on this planet to take care of it and keep it balanced.”

“Dad, look at it. Albus, you also think it's cute, right?” Albus had the chancho already dead, hanging upside down with a massive cut in the neck.

“This is a cruel world, sniff, run chancho!” I let my chancho go.