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

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The soup simmered as the flames continued to lick on the pot. The elf lifted the lid, releasing the wonderful aroma of vegetable and meat. Adaloun's stomach began to growl as he inhaled the delectable flavors of the soup.

"That's a wonderful…" Adaloun's saliva dripped as he spoke. He covered his mouth and wiped the dripping fluid from it. He was famished since he trained the beastman the rest of the day, that he forgot lunch. "'Scuse me, is that ready?" He asked the elf.

The elf covered her mouth to hide the huge cracking smile on her face. She nodded to answer his question. Adaloun took the bowl and didn't wait for the elf's signal. He took the ladle in the pot and scooped a generous amount of vegetable and meat into his bowl.

The elf looked irked looking at how desperate he was that evening to eat. But there was something in that soup that made him crave for it even more—or maybe he was just that hungry? Adaloun hastily chowed on the soft hot vegetables. He opened his mouth as he chewed on it as he tried to avoid burning his mouth.

He took another scoop of the soup and put its liquid deliciousness into the bowl. He took a sip of it and was filled with the flavorful embrace of such delicate taste. The wonderful vegetable harmonized well with the meat juices and its tenderness gave it an extra delicate texture. It made Adaloun smiled as his hunger was slowly satiated.

"Where's the beastman?" The elf signed.

It took Adaloun a moment to answer the question, "He's still back in the woods." He took another scoop of the soup.

The elf offered him a piece of bread rationed to them by Lord Prestonheim. Adlaoun thanked her, tore a piece and dipped it in the soup. As he enjoyed his meal, he couldn't help but notice the elf's worried look as she bobbed her head, looking from the distance.

Adaloun was already on his third bowl when the beastman decided to show up from the shadows of the woods. He sat beside him and spoke.

"You're right," He began, "I need to be strong." The beastman clenched his fist.

"You're already strong," Adaloun patted the beastman's back, "What you need is to hone that strength so you can use it properly." He smiled.

The beastman gave him a tired smile. The flame illuminated the beastman's face and revealed the welts and bruises he got from earlier. Adaloun's eyes widened as he saw the damage, he had done to the beastman. The light love taps weren't that light after all.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" The elf stood up from her seat and approached the beastman to check his injuries. "WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!" The elf signed to the beastman.

Adaloun saw the look of concern on the elf's face. She looked at the wounds and assessed them, then looked at Adaloun with a piercing glare.

"Did you two fought each other?" The elf's brow creased as she tried to pat the bulging hematoma on the beastman's right eye. "This is a big welt!" She looked at both of them furiously like a mother about to scold her children. Somehow the elf's aura changed, it felt like as if it was crushing both of them.

Adaloun and the beastman felt very uneasy. It was very unwise to speak out, but it was also foolish not to answer her.

"Well," The elf signed as she tapped her feet on the ground. "You said it was training?"

Both men looked away and tried not their best not to meet her gaze. Adaloun could feel the sweat running from his brow. His throat was parched. Throughout the many monsters and demonlords he encountered; this felt the most unnerving of them all.

"Aye! Is suppar ready?" The dwarf suddenly came out of nowhere.

Adaloun could hear the big sigh of relief coming from the beastman. He slowly tried to get a glimpse about their current situation and saw the elf's angry glare directly looking at him. He looked away once again.

"Relax, lass." The dwarf tried to calm the seething elf down. "Tis was nay scuffle. Them both were trainin." He explained.

The elf scratched her head and looked at the both of them once more. She pointed at them one more time trying to make a point to the dwarf, but the dwarf insisted that it was a part of an extensive training.

"Lass, I was there." He explained. "Them didn's saw me but I took a peek at them when I heard some ruckus."

The elf threw her arms into the air as she finally gave up to the dwarf's argument. But before she did, she made one last piercing gaze to the both of them.

"Ey! Both of yah all ear 'ere!" The dwarf called out. It looked like the elf asked the dwarf get their attention. "The lass had something to say!"

Adaloun hesitantly turned around. He saw the beastman's hunched frame as he turned around and noticed more bruises on his back. It was way too big. Even his masters from before would hold back a little more to make way for their student's level.  What he did was almost close to beating.

The elf went back to her seat and scooped a bow full of soup for the beastman and the dwarf.  Adaloun had a sigh of relief, finally he could eat in peace once again.  He saw the elf hand over the bowl to the dwarf, then to the beastman.

"You can only eat one bowl of soup." She said to the beastman.

"B-but…" The beastman tried to protest but the elf's glare was too terrifying, he simply sat down and ate his soup slowly and silently.

"Come on, lass!" The dwarf spoke out for the beastman. "Yah be lil considerate to the lad. He—"

"Would you also like to stop at just one bowl?" The elf signed to the dwarf.

The dwarf looked at her straight in the eye with a hint of defiance, "Well, I won't—" Suddenly the dwarf's stomach grumbled violently. It looked like they weren't the only one who was hungry that night. The dwarf looked at them and silently ate on his seat beside the elf.

Even the dwarf couldn't risk it. He was too hungry as well! He looked at the beastman with apologetic eyes and began slurping his soup until empty, then asking for seconds. The elf obliged him, thankfully.

After their awkwardly silent meal, the elf took out the pot and the bowl, then stormed out of the campfire. The beastman stood up and tried to follow him but Adaloun and the dwarf were quick to stop him.

"Let the lass calm down." The dwarf explained.

"It was just training!" Adaloun explained, "I never thought she would react to it that badly."

"The lass was concerned with whut yah did ta 'im." The dwarf pointed at the beastman who stared blankly at the flames.

Adaloun looked at the beastman's face again and saw the big welt protruding like a horn on the side of the poor man's head. Looks like, he swung the wooden sword with too much force, the bruises all over the beastman's body made his tattoos shrink.

"Yah, overdid it, lad." The dwarf clicked his tongue. "I wuz watchin both of yah from afar."

"I guess your right," Adaloun sighed. "Beastman, I'm sorry if I had—"

"No, keep that apology." The beastman replied. "You were right. I often just use my strength rather than other things. I thought about it and saw the many times you held back a swing when you tried hitting my vital organs."

Adaloun looked at the beastman curiously, "So you're saying…you want me to train you that way?"

The beastman's hands jittered. Adaloun knew he was afraid, but he was adamant about the entire training. The beastman took a deep breath and answered, "Yes, please help me learn. I want to protect all of you. I don't want that thing to happen again."

"Whut thing?" The dwarf asked.

Adaloun saw the beastman bit his lip as his brows furrowed. He was trying to stop his already watery eyes from gushing over.

"I don't want to become useless again." He said. "I don't want to runaway anymore. I don't want to feel like a deadweight any longer. Please train me as hard as you possibly can!" The beastman knelt on the ground.

"Whut are yah saying, Lad!" The dwarf butted in. "Yer nay deadweight! But yah certainly need tah learn things if yah want tah protect the ones yah love." The dwarf smiled at him.

"Get up, beastman!" Adaloun commanded. "You have no right to kneel down to me. I am no Lord nor a man of power.I am your friend and as friend I will help you with that!" He took the beastman's arm and pulled him back to his feet.

"It's going to be a heavy tomorrow. Are you up for it?" Adaloun asked.

The beastman smiled with no hesitation in his eyes, "Yes. I will be ready."