Sleeping on the couch was a good idea.
I also slept a little bit after everyone left the house, giving me just enough sleep to try and wake before Sply came around.
"But dear God, does everything hurt."
I slide my feet over to the ground and my calfs and thighs feel like the muscles are trying to eat me instead of strengthen me.
Whining, just a little bit, I get up to my feet and shake myself awake.
Both of my eyes are open, this time.
"Eye patch fell in my sleep."
Looking out the window, the moon is still up and the sky still dark. Yet no Sply.
"Okay, I'll impress her today, I know it."
Walking over to the kitchen, leaves me with the two different water sources, one clean, one about to be cleaned when Steel or Marcilene wakes, still not sure how they do that anyway.
Ducking both of my hands into the clean one, I wash my face awake and crack my neck.
Turning back around, still wet faced, I grab my bow, I sling it over my arm and look on the floor for my eye patch.
I find it right beside the couch, lifting it off the ground I dust it off and put it right over my eye again.
"Don't wanna lose this, now do we?"
I say taking to myself, like a mad man.
Turning around, I now head out of the door and past the short stone wall we call a gate.
I begin to start my stretching, even when my body feels like splitting into smaller pieces of myself.
Sply is seen off in the distance, wearing her signature, poncho style purple shirt, along with her eight sided star necklace and black pants.
It doesn't take long for her to reach me considering that she is already fast as is.
"Good. Finish up your stretching and we'll head over to the training area."
Standing on one foot to hold it up to my butt, I wobble a bit, then switch feet as she jogs in place waiting for me to finish.
Only after lifting my leg to my chest, does she turn.
"We're going."
She says, and goes into a short jog for me to follow right after her.
It didn't take me too long to finish my stretching and begin to follow right after her, almost getting into a full sprint to catch up, nearly cramping with every major step.
Slowing down only once I get behind her.
Once we get to the main square, Sply brings us down a different path, one that's further.
'Why?'
It doesn't matter all that much though because I don't stop to ask her questions.
This path also has many different places to see.
Houses and otherwise amazing food shops, one even has a cake place, that is probably where, either Steel or Glee got the cake from yesterday.
'Goodness was the cake delicious, a good strawberry cake, never really had many chances to experience such bliss with people around so I enjoyed it very much.'
The thought passes, as does the cake place.
Soon, we also pass, a place that is pretty big, with a sign just above the door with a insignia of two swords clashing.
The place is big, not only that, but behind the glass of the building, I can see a swords and armor and many other things that a knight should be equipped with.
We run right past the place.
"What is that place Sply?"
I ask her as we keep our same distance and speed. Still taking deep breaths between every stride.
My calf almost cramping once again making me hop into the air.
"An enrollment program to become a knight of the city of Virvanum."
She says without sounding out of breath or like she needs to take a breath.
As we leave the place fully, taking a turn to the left. The only thing that crosses my mind is:
'That's where Wes will be entering through some day.'
I think wishing the best for him as we continue running, taking about thirty minutes to get to the training area.
Once there the first thing we do is stop for a quick breath before entering.
Sply goes before me, I after having a good time to get air in my lungs.
'I kept up this time, she didn't need to slow down. Progress.'
I smirk, as I step inside the place.
Sply not to be seen.
'At the dirt mound already.'
I move past all the other things in the place and heading towards the door at the other end of the place and seeing Sply taking a few shots as she did yesterday, when she shot her arrows.
I head over to her side, standing about ten feet away from each other, but both aiming our bodies at the hay targets.
I position my feet, one pillar foot planted back and another lead to help me with my aim.
Sply stands behind me, pulling her bow string and taking shots at the target, never missing at all.
I begin to pull the string for myself, my fingers feel the worst burning pain ever as my finger wraps around the string, making me let go of it.
I make a hissing sound.
"The pain subsides, but if you don't get used to the pain, you'll never be able to shoot a bow."
Sply tells me, making me turn my whole body to see her face, she never looked at me, but instead, constantly pulled her string and released to hit the target again and again.
I suck it up and repositioned my body again.
Pulling the string once more, the pain still there, but I deal with it by thinking of wanting to get better. I tap the sigil and an arrow appears in the arrow hold.
I look at the target.
"Don't hit the wall."
I say as I look at the hay target.
Releasing the string making the bow fly through the air, it hits the wall again, the same as yesterday, and if I don't get better, the same as forever.
"Instead of thinking about trying to not hit the wall, think about hitting the hay target. It'll help, even if it's just a little."
Her tone monotone, but helpful.
I don't turn my body to look at her, knowing by the sound of scattering hay, that she's continuing to shoot the target.
I follow what she says, I hold up the bow toward the hay target and pull the string, a hiss from my teeth as I do, and an arrow appears with a tap of my finger.
I look at the target and think one thing:
'Hit the target.'
As soon as I release the string the arrow goes flying through the air and hits gets lodged into the target.
My eye goes wide, I turn toward Sply and she continues to shoot her bow, three different arrows shot at the same time, all of them hitting the target at three different times, at three different angles.
"Don't stop shooting. You stop you get rusty. I'm here to train you, not give you praise for every single step you take from birth. I'm not your mother."
She says as she looks at me with a neutral look on her face.
'Ass.'
I turn my body back towards the target and with renewed determination. I begin to pull the string back.
Then letting go of the string when I pull too far and the string digs into my fingers again.
"Damnit. That hurts."
~~~
The training takes longer than usual today, both of us so invested into shooting targets, me missing many times that once and Sply not a single time.
People begin to enter the place and watch us, others not really, as they practice their own training, or sparring.
The sun nearly reaches its halfway point to its peak.
"Sply. I think that, we've been training enough."
I say as another one of my arrows disintegrates.
Many people mumbling about it.
"He has a bow that makes Soul arrows."
"A Soul bow."
And many more talking about it.
I don't pay much attention for now.
Sply looks at me as she lets other loose.
"Yes, it enough for today, the training is getting better compared to before."
She pauses before she continues again, heading over to the door that we'll exit from this time.
"This time you were able to hit the target. Good job."
She says to me.
My head spins for a second.
'But she said that…'
"I thought you said you weren't going to baby me?"
"I didn't. I saw you continue to try, that's what deserves congratulations even if it's something that I've been able to achieve already it's a good thing to be able to do."
"Which…? Hitting a target?"
I say as Sply puts the bow she used back.
Moving through people in the weapons area.
"No, trying again and again. That's not something that many people have the will to do. I'm congratulating you for trying even after failing, way more that twenty times."
She says as we head outside.
Many people enter and exit as many all around walk past us and either weave past us with an apology or just don't hit us and go about there way.
Some on horses as they also head toward the entrance towards the square, there is even one carriage.
Sply looks at me.
"Begin to stretch, then when your done, we'll go back to your house."
I drop the bow on the ground, nodding and quickly stretch my body, still feeling the same small pain from before, but not as bad as when I first woke.
It take me a minute to finish my stretches and Sply begins into a small jog, me following right behind her as soon as I grab my bow and sling it over my shoulder.
We follow the same route again, passing the Knights of Virvanum again this time with people outside, some fit, some not, but regardless enter with armor or a sword.
And the cake place, that some people, mostly women enter and leave as they please.
Some coming out with cake, other wishing they had.
It takes us thirty minutes to get to the house again.
Sply stops at the gate.
Steel outside shadow boxing air, his gauntlets in hand.
'Seems he's whipped them out again.'
I stop behind her and continue my walk past Steel, entering the house, after waving to Steel who doesn't see me as he turns his back.
Sply turns and begins to go away, heading in the opposite direction from us, her face looking annoyed to just see Steel.
I head into the house and see Marcilene on the table with a bowl of food.
I put my bow beside the door, knowing I'm going back out.
"Good morning Lazi…"
She says lazily as she scoops another bunch of food from her bowl to her mouth.
I walk over to her, my feet feeling wobbly, but myself felling awake.
Walking to her side I look what's in her bowl.
"Morning? Whachu eating?"
I ask her.
"The food from yesterday, Elsa put some in a bowl, then covered it with a plate."
I squint my eyes at her.
"You gonna share?"
She looks at me, and with a weak, but happy smile, she shakes her head.
"Nope, never planned to."
"Freak you…"
I slowly get closer to her.
Then as fast as I can, I snatch the bowl from her.
"Sharing is caring."
I say as I try to take a bite using the spoon she dropped in surprise.
"Who even says that?"
Marcilene says as she tries to grab the bowl back from me.
I manage to get the spoon into my mouth and swallow it before she lunges to me.
"Hey.. that's mine."
"Share."
I say muffled as I try to hold her back with my now free hand.
Marcilene goes around to my blind spot and grabs the bowl, taking it back.
She also gets a spoonful into her mouth. Swallowing it and swiftly going for a second one.
"Hey, that's cheating I'm blind in that eye."
I say as I try to get the bowl back, but she has a slightly bigger frame than me.
Holding me back, with slight better ease.
"No you're not, you just don't use that eye."
"Because I will go blind."
"Not my fault…"
She steps back putting the bowl on the table, and while still holding me back, she gets another scoop into her mouth.
"Cheater, you're bigger than me."
"Well, I'm going to enjoy this because you're going to be bigger than me soon."
I smile.
"Yeah, and when that happens I'm going to steal all the food from you."
She chuckles.
"I'd like to see you try."
I move back from her, my stomach now rumbling a little.
"Okay, no but seriously, can I get some, just a little, before I have to go back out."
Marcilene lets out a chuckle, then steps out the way.
"Sure… but why you going back out?"
Moving toward the bowl, instead of answering her, I stuff my mouth full of food.
Making my cheeks a little messy.
'GOD, IM SUCH A FREAKING CHUD!'
With a massive swallow I look to Marcilene who looks at me wide eyed.
"My food…"
"You said you'd share?"
"But…"
She doesn't say anything else, instead she just takes the food from me.
"Okay then."
'Let me clean myself.'
Going around the table I go to the sink and wash my face.
"Okay, bye."
Marcilene takes a small scoop of food, stopping her from speaking.
I go out the door, grabbing my bow on the way out and slinging it over my shoulder.
Steel, still training. I go out the gate and out toward Warren Forrest. Going to train with Apatite once again.
The forest is dark same as always, a place that's pretty difficult to navigate through, but today is different, because I have an idea.
I lift my eye patch and see the very, faint familiar orange aura.
Moving through the shrubs and the trees as I get closer to the orange aura.
Soon, the sun makes it through the darkness once again.
Giving me sight of the same hair I've seen everyday for three days.
The blue haired, long eared elf.
Apatite sits again on the hill of the clearing and opens her eyes, when she hears the sound of a twig snap.
"Okay, let's get started."
Apatite says as I move closer to her and sit in front of her, same position as usual and with my bow to my side.
And she makes me do the exact same thing again.
FOR THREE HOURS.
Making the feeling of my arms go numb, then fade, numb then fade, numb then fade.
After a while I had to stand to stretch my legs.
"This sucks…"
I say.
"Can't we do anything that'll help me improve with my bow?"
She looks at the bow, then at me.
"No, last time you shot the bow…"
She points to the tree, with a very small indent in it from yesterday.
"… you hit a different tree."
"That was yesterday."
My eyes light up:
"Speaking of yesterday, it was my birthday."
She lights up as well:
"Happy birthday."
Then right back to topic:
"Can you even shoot the bow straight?"
"Yes, I can, because my other teacher helped me learn it."
"That mean looking lady?"
She asks surprised:
"Wow."
"Yes, but anyway, I can shoot the bow, trust me."
"Okay. Do it."
With a smirk on my face, I pick up the bow and turn to look at a tree.
I stand up straight, look at the tree and remember the same words that Sply told me.
'Aim for the tree, and think about hitting it… or something like that.'
I pull the string, tap the sigil and with a quick breath and a good sight on my target I release the arrow.
Hitting the target dead center, the target being the same tree I wanted to hit last time.
"Told you."
"WOW, now try putting Soul Energy into that shot."
When she says that I shiver.
"I don't know how to do that."
"Exactly why, we are taking this one step at a time."
She says and it clicks in my head.
"Yeah, you're right, I do apologize."
She smiles at me and looks up at me from her sat position.
"I accept your apology, now, let's hurry up and get your better at this so we can move on."