Chapter 14:

First Training

Twilight Star: First Goal


The group entered the Guild House at four exactly. The party waved at a confused Elaine before heading for the training room. Londra introduced Elaine to her newest recruits while making their place completely official. When they were done Julianna bounced back into the room to meet with their support team, also right on time at quarter after four. Londra thanked them before showing the other three where the training room was. Alden had placed a variety of training weapons and shields in the room from his vault. It almost looked like one now.

“My weapon of choice was a sword and shield,” Alden projected watching the eyes of Trenton, Peter, and Mara. Now that they were part of the party they could hear him. His long, beige, Elven ears wiggled enough his long, braided, brown hair swayed a bit across his strong back but didn’t move his light blue shirt. “Come to find… that is exactly right.”

This caused many to laugh but Trenton cleared his throat. His Demon green eyes searching the room. “Is that one of the questions you asked in the Learning Room?”

“Yes, and more. Robbie will fill your brain with them tonight at dinner,” Rus stated with a smile on his brown, leathery face. “He does that.” With a nod he reached for a two handed wooden sword. Taking a few swings before frowning a bit.

“Ha, ha,” Robbie responded rolling his green eyes, “but I do like information. I am actually a range weapon specialist. Arrows, knives, anything to throw. Which is interesting, when I was home… I used a lance. Wasn’t bad with it but it never felt right.”

“Well, lucky enough, we found my vault item,” Fenton stated looking over the weapons. He was his human size but without his wings. Those close could tell he was debating bringing them out just by the intense look on his caramel colored, accented oval face. “It has my long sword in it and pretty buckler that changes size with me. Very expensive, I’m so glad I found it. Using a old dagger for a vault was Fern’s idea…”

Londra touched his shoulder giving a reassuring squeeze, “I have people looking for her and Zerina. Master Yevhen is close to finding them. Just a few more leads to tug on,” she said as he nodded. She reached to pick up a simple wooden pole. “I can use any type of pole weapon, kind of my thing,” she smiled.

“I am a rapier, or thin sword and need to figure out my balance with my legs and snake tail. I am starting with legs,” Sasha stated, finding a thin wooden sword. “Speed, once I figure out how to control it, is my thing. Tried earlier and smacked into a wall,” she chuckled with the others who had witnessed it. “Glad Robbie is so good with healing magic.”

“I am a sword and shield kind of guy,” Julius chuckled, shrugging with his strong shoulders while his smile lighted his square, light tan face and green eyes. “Nothing new there.”

“I too am a pole weapon specialist,” Anna laughed coming back into the room, tying up her long, deep red hair. “Plus, I am a spell craftswoman. Oh, I can’t wait to work with you,” she laughed, hugging Londra and Sasha. “Mara, I would hug you too but not sure how you would like it yet.”

“I am not sure either,” Mara answered standing there wondering what to do. A nervous hand began to move a few stray strands of short, blue-black hair behind her thin violet-navy horns. “We are just here to work on body control, right?”

“I got rid of the rabbit legs and just have large feet now,” Peter announced doing a little dance. His white rabbit ears and little fluff of a tail wiggled happily. His dark pink eyes looked around noticing everyone was smiling too. “This is how I was before I was taken, yet it feels so strange,” he admitted, smoothing his short, white hair around his straight rabbit ears.

“I too feel strange…” Trenton admitted. “Like a weight was lifted and now my body feels… foreign, but right.” A slight smile on his golden pecan colored face contradicting his deep voice while his deep green, Demon accented eyes watched everything.

“Those Demon eyes… so many greens,” Zeke started, shaking his head enough his mahogany braid swished. “Both yours and Mara’s are just amazingly… I would say beautiful, but I don’t know how you would feel.”

Trenton did smile this time, “I like having beautiful eyes.” This caused a few chuckles.

“Well, I am an axe and shield type,” Zeke stated, raising his bare, muscular green arms trying to figure out how to control his new strength. His golden eyes looked around. “Can use a war axe or sword. Honestly, don’t think I am ready to swing an axe yet. So, how are we doing this?”

“Simple swings to start with,” Londra suggested with a shrug, tossing her head around enough her uneven, sable brown hair fell behind her ears. “Partner up?”

“Oh, our support members are going to come in after finishing their conversation with Elaine. I offered it to all that we agreed on and they chose which eight started with us first,” Anna stated. “They will help. It would be one of their three tasks needed to prove they are guest support members. Just two more tasks and they, nor we, will have to pay a fine for letting friends that don’t want to be adventures use the Learning Room.” She smiled at Londra, then lunged with her wooden pole only to trip, stumble, and run into the nearby wall. “That was talent,” she grumbled rubbing her shoulder. “Spella did warn there would be a lag until our bodies caught up with our minds.”

“Maybe not partners,” Londra mumbled looking around with her tired hazel eyes seeing that everyone was struggling a bit. “Don’t want to impale each other.”

“I thought I was going to laugh at all of you but… my body feels so light, and I am having a hard time figuring out my strength. Did the curse do this to me too?” Alden wondered.

“I am not sure,” Londra answered honestly.

“I think it is a combination,” Robbie sighed, the bow string snapped him again. While he was healing his arm, “the protection spell that Londra placed did give you back much that was taken but learning all the new things… you are with us. Spella did warn us, just like Anna said. Damn, this is a child’s bow and I just can’t… but I know how…”

“Frustration,” Rus agreed, falling forward again, “think I put too much muscle into that swing. I was going to show you my Warrior’s tail and beautiful, scaly, lizard body but that will wait. How is it going, Zeke?” he asked since the weighted wooden axe Zeke was using went flying towards Mara.

Mara caught it then twirled it around but dropped it. Her body was different now that the healing was almost complete. She frowned, “I really have no idea what weapon is best for me. All I have ever used are my nails,” she stated, growing them out about eight inches. A moment later the blue-black nails looked like thin daggers.

“Yea, I could see that,” Peter mumbled, blinking his deep pink eyes with a soft, nervous chuckle. “Just working on walking…”

“That is a good start,” a familiar voice stated. “So those are the newest, so sad you didn’t bring them to us but from the looks of it you didn’t need to. I want to see that spell.”

“Hi, Darcy,” Londra chuckled, standing up again. She kept falling down, like a toddler. “If you do, I will be using it again around seven thirty tomorrow morning.”

This caused Deven to laugh so hard he almost fell. When he evened back out, they could see traces of tears leave his amber eyes, falling down his sharp, oval black face. His neat, short, dark red hair with orange highlights was far from neat around his long, Elven ears that were far from his head. “She doesn’t do morning! Not even for me. I am sure you will use it for somebody else. Maybe we could find somebody who hasn’t been healed and invite you.” 

Darcy glared at him, causing the others to hide their amusement. Her accented, oval face was far from soft while there was intensity in her violet eyes. She smoothed down her shoulder length, golden hair with streaks of blue, green, and yellow behind her long Elven ears that were far from her head. A gesture that had Deven hiding his laugher.

Londra took a moment to see the eight that had signed on to be their support just so they could use the Learning Room, now that they knew how to use it. Darcy and Deven were a bit of a surprise, but the others weren’t. Cob was making his way towards Trenton and Mara with a strange smile since his face that always seemed to be hidden in magic. His tail was introducing itself too. Both smiled. Next were Kwan, his mother an Elf named Gladiolus, his father a Dwarf named Ven, his sister an Elf named Krista, and a Lizard Man that worked with Kwan’s cousins Murk. Soon the eight had distributed their talents throughout the room.

Darcy was watching Londra and Anna closely, barely blinking her violet eyes, wondering why their bodies just weren’t doing what they should be. The technique was there but not the follow through. “Maybe you are in your head too much?” she suggested. There were echoes of the same around the room.

A few minutes later a booming voice yelled, “Closing time!” Turning they all noticed Master Oscar, still a bit bruised but moving fairly well. “Sorry, don’t want to push it. Had a nice chat with Archduke Dristen about extending our hours but it hasn’t been approved yet. So, this is me being nice. Please get out.” This caused laughter all around. Londra left her staff leaning against the wall like everyone else was, a bit surprising to Master Oscar since they had purchased them. Maybe they knew nobody else had signed up yet. Londra took Darcy and Deven’s hands as she moved towards Master Oscar. She stopped before him and enacted the Victims’ Revenge healing spell with a bit more to make it go faster since his injuries weren’t as extensive. Both stopped to watch the spell she created with the characters she had chosen while Master Oscar just stood there flabbergasted. The others walked around them, talking about anything to make the day seem normal.

Master Oscar started to move around after a few minutes, amazed at the difference. Now Darcy and Deven were talking in their own language as he followed them all out. Locking the door and staring at Elaine. “I had two healers work on me… but she just healed me completely in a matter of three minutes. She was here for the whole night?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Elaine smiled. “I am just the receptionist.” This caused them both to laugh, something they hadn’t done in a long time. 

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