Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 39th day of Fall, Arenfall

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The camp has been busier lately. The nonstop clanging of iron from the blacksmith's and dwarf's tent could be heard all throughout the gloomy hours of Obscuros. In the day, the knights were constantly training, slashing, evading and studying tactics. Their Commander had called for them to arms. He asked only for the bravest and skillful men to join him in the expedition and these knights are trying to prove that indeed they are.

From the distance, Adaloun along with the beastman observed them as they skinned their freshly caught game earlier that morning. He looked at them with somber and dread. He knew that most of them would die there. Probably, they'd run away from the fear those unknown creatures might instill on them. Anyone would run away from that; he did, but he was just lucky to be alive. 

He heard a heavy sigh from the beastman. He looked to him and asked, "Is something the matter?" As he continued to separate the rabbit's sinew from the skin.

"I…I-I'm…just afraid what that hole has for us." He said nervously.

Adaloun knew the beastman was treading his words as much as he can. The big guy, despite his appearance had a gentle soul. As much as he would love to reassure him, he just couldn't find the right words to say. Not in the situation they would be facing on in the following days.

"We all have to be ready." Adaloun replied. "Luck could only take us so far. The monsters down there will eat us along with our luck if we're not ready. How's your training with Ser Tristam?" He immediately changed the subject.

The beastman grew gloomier. "Tough. Ser Tristam is so strict…and…I…" The poor soul bit his lip. "The other squires take glances at me, as if I was some filth. They won't partner with me…so Ser Tristam had to intervene." He sighed.

Adaloun felt the beastman's pain. Ever since coming to this world, being born as a slave was never an easy walk in the park for him. He remembered when he was younger how other knights would give him piercing glares, looking at him, berating him for the class he was born into.

He imagined the beastman's predicament was much worst. He's a non-human slave, freed only by favor from the Lord Commander and now being trained in combat along with future knights. Adaloun pitied him for the humiliation he had to go through just to be trained in the art of combat that he was not accustomed to in the first place. So, he had an idea.

"Hey, beastman," Adaloun smiled at him. "How about I train you instead? Let me assess what you have learned."

The beastman's eyes widened, "W-wa...waaiit! Y-you w-want me to f-fight you? Surely, you jest."

The beastman tried to shake it off as a joke, but Adaloun's piercing gaze told him otherwise. "Nope. I am serious. Let's do it after breakfast." He nudged the beastman's shoulder.

The elf came later with their meal. The dwarf wasn't around to join them again today. He had locked himself away from them ever since he got the forge running and had been working nonstop since. The elf told both of them that the dwarf was doing fine, albeit too buried in his work.

"What is he even doing there?" The beastman asked the most obvious question.

The elf looked at him annoyed with his dumb question, "Smithing, I guess?"

"Oh!" The beastman's face flushed in red as he realized how stupid his question was.

There was an awkward air of silence after that. Adaloun noted how the elf was irritable towards them lately. The usual timid and observing elf seemed to be irritated and jittery the past few days. Every now and again she would wake up at night on her bed as if she had woken up from a nightmare. He thought that the constant lack of sleep might have affected her psyche the past few days.

"Is everything okay?"Adaloun asked the elf.

The elf nodded and hurriedly finished her food and walked out from there. Adaloun was confused about it as much as the beastman was. She might be worried about them going down the hole once again. The dwarf told him that they had to fight those damned monsters before he woke up and so it was certainly understandable why she was pissed at the idea of them going back into that sealed hole.

The beastman sighed, he looked like he had lost his appetite. Adaloun patted his back and tried cheering him up, "There…there…now! Eat, you'll need it for later." He wanted to cheer up the big guy, but it ended sounding like he wanted him to numb the beastman's pain.

The duo went back to cleaning the rabbit skins until it was already mid-day. Adaloun tapped the beastman's back and gestured him to follow. The beastman hesitantly stood up and followed him. They went to the clearing near the dwarf's forge and began the evaluation.

"Look, beastman," Adaloun sighed at his hesitant trainee who was having none of it. "We need to get you in shape. Once we're in the hole, who knows what other monsters might lurk there! We need you to be ready!"

"I-I can defend myself and you guys…I mean…I am a—" The beastman said.

"Try not to be overconfident with your strength, it could only do so little against those monsters." Adaloun rebutted. "Here, take this." He handed over a wooden sword to the beastman.

The beastman immediately recognized the wooden blades, "H-how did you get these? These are the knight's training swords!" He exclaimed.

Adaloun smirked at the beastman, "I stole them." He answered casually.

"What?! Y-you s-stole…No, I am not using these!" The beastman dropped the sword to the ground like it was a hot clay pot. "You know we could be punished for this!"

"No, he won't." A familiar voice broke through the woods.

"Took you a while to get here, Ser Tristam!" Adaloun exclaimed. "I thought you got lost in the woods!"

"I just had to finish training with my men to get them ready." He descended from the slope and into the clearing. "There's only a few more days left before we start the descent. I wanted my men to be prepared for anything."

"No one can ever be prepared for anything." Adaloun said as he rushed towards the unsuspecting beastman. The beastman's reacted by raising his arms forward, shield his neck and face to stop the blade from slashing his head off.

The beastman poorly defended himself and went down on the ground as Adaloun pointed the blade on his face.

"I wasn't ready!" The beastman shouted. "Y-you tricked me! You were still speaking to Ser--" He pointed at Adaloun

"That was exactly my point!" He offered his arm to the beastman, but his friend flicked his hand out of annoyance. "Take the wooden sword and let's do it—"

"No, I won't. Not anymore!" The beastman walked out of the scene.

Adaloun had to play dirty on him once again, "So you'll just run away and leave us there? Damn, what a friend!" He guffawed.

The beastman suddenly stopped and turned back to him. He approached Adaloun and shoved him to the ground. "You want me to play this game?! Fine!" He angrily picked up the wooden blade from where he dropped it and charged into Adaloun.

The beastman wildly swung the blades, making it easy for Adaloun to evade the attack. From a distance he could hear Tristam shouting to the beastman, coaching him of what he needed to do. The beastman wasn't listening, he was slowly giving into his primal senses and was attacking with fervor without thinking of the consequences.

Adaloun easily bobbed and weaved out of the attacks then countering it with an attack of his own. He hit the beastman's body with speed and precision, that the beastman's knees shook as their match continued.

With every slash, Adaloun sought for a counter hit either with the blade, his fist or a kick. The match ended with the beastman lying on the ground, battered from all the counterattacks he suffered. The beastman looked blankly at the sky as his tears welled-up in his eyes.

"You have the strength and speed, Ser beastman." The knight approached them. "But your skills need refinement. You can't just put your faith on your instincts. What if someone will—"

"I know! I…know…" The beastman said as his voice cracked. "Just…leave me be...for now… Please."

Adaloun tapped Tristam's shoulder and gestured him to leave along with him.

They left the beastman crying on the ground as the sky slowly turned into the beautiful crimson velvet. Adaloun felt guilty of what he did. He thought he just broke the beastman, but he also knew he needed that push. He didn't care if the beastman would loathe him after that but his taking that gamble. He would rather see him living at the end of the day.

"Would he take that lesson to heart?" The knight asked.

"I could only hope." Adaloun answered.

They parted ways after arriving at the camp. The elf was already preparing their dinner, chopping the vegetables into cubes for the soup.

Adaloun started the flame and created a decently proportioned bonfire for the elf to cook with. The elf hung the pot in a makeshift hanger and began cooking. Adaloun silently observed the elf as she cooked. His mind was still confused at the decision he made earlier with training the beastman.

"I certainly hope you understand what I just did, beastman." He mumbled as the wood crackled from the fire's embrace.