Chapter 14: Training Sucks!

The sun had recently peered from the clouds during the midday, and Desmond realized that this was not the place where he would want to walk during this time of the day. He would rather be in the palace, eying those maids at a distance or stealing some cheese and ham from the pantry. Or perhaps move towards the bathing chambers and treat himself with a feast for the eyes. Everything was possible inside that palace. But here...

This training ground bore some of the worst plausible scenarios for Desmond. The more he threw his head around, the more he found, the bloodier sights taking hold in his imagination. This looked more like a desolate battlefield, like in anime with scabbards, swords, and spears sprawling everywhere. At some spots, he could have sworn he had sighted skeletons. However, he didn't ask about them, containing his vexing curiosity.

"Who the hell keeps things like this in the courtyard?!" he let out a sigh. "Children could get hurt!" Desmend also noted this courtyard was distinguishable from the one he tried making a bomb.

"This is not a place for children but rather a training yard for warriors."

His cheeks bore red tints when Eliza appeared from behind under the mild sun, her short brown hair tied up behind her head. She was a fierce warrior, responsible for managing her breath and unleashing hell upon her foes. All those poems that he had read about her said the same thing. But here….she looked more like a beautiful goddess than anything, like the ones he had seen in one of those tapestries. But, of course, she wouldn't care about all that sweat or the fact that her glistening amber eyes bore a spark that he wouldn't be able to resist. He had always found her fearsome, but currently, he found her overwhelming, and it wasn't fear that was making his heart race.

"Tell me one thing. Are you going to train me brutally again today?" He asked her while fixing his eyes on her chest. She wasn't wearing her standard armour but rather the minimalist chainmail that exposed some skin. Desmond wasn't used to seeing her like that. He had always heard her commanding voice from a fearsome armour that she used to strut around in the palace corridors, even without her Javelin.

"Yes, we are!" She became less attractive when her arms bent while holding that symbolic axe.

A metallic curved blade rested on the edge of that sturdy handle. The Chosen One had seen the weapon cutting through giant trees and metal boulders. The way she used to breathe and lift that cleaver was fear invoking sight. She was a formidable trainer and the way she dashed around the battlefield in the heavy armour…

He tried remembering all of that before he locked his eyes on her chest again. Also hoping that the half dwarven woman would go back to her Warhammer.

"I am right here!" The blunt end of her axe connected with his belly as she grimaced and reminded himself that this woman was his teacher in Vespa. Chosen one or not, king or not, she would grind him if he didn't behave like a student.

"I see... Your face is right there! I know! Ow! That hurts women! So...what are we supposed to do? Why did you bring me here? And can you take off this stupid mask!"

He understands that he has a week to prepare for something that he is really under-qualified for. However, he still can't understand why she forced him the mask so suddenly and without explanation.

He tore his gaze off her chest and instead connected to her glimmering eyes that bore the reflection of the battlefield. Something was on her face as she steered her eyes around and took in the sight of it.

Clenching her jaw and nodding her head as if keeping away vexing notions, she pointed the sharp edge at him.

"Now tell me, how far are you willing to go to save someone you love?!"

He found himself oddly disoriented by this statement. That wasn't the usual sort of question that he was accustomed to answering.

"I have no idea, to be honest. I just get up, train some stuff, then do the smart thing and grab a gun or call the cops, and then go back to bed!" His back ached the moment he remembered that last night sword training. Clementine was merciless, though he would want her most in this chainmail that was on Eliza's body here. She used to rough him up pretty bad, but compared to the woman that stood in front of him, she was a doe… who could cut him into thousand pieces.

Ok, maybe they are not that different.

Thanks to that damned goddess and her moronic quest, he only gets four hours of sleep. One training regime is popping bubbles in the air with a thrust. Have you ever thought about training your hand-eye coordination by striking or thrusting at floating, randomly moving bubbles? And at night?

It would surprise you how hard it is. Such a simple drill can dramatically increase your precision and ability to avoid focusing on details that distract you or cause you to lose focus.

"Focus! And answer me!" Eliza demanded, interrupting his thoughts.

Most of the time.

"I honestly don't know what you want me to say! As I said, I was dragged into this world, not of my accord." Desmend shot back.

"Wrong answer!"

The hair on the back of his neck stood up as she dashed towards him, waving that dangerous thing. He could only throw himself backwards and hope that this leather jerkin of his could provide some defence. It didn't. The axe got dangerously close, and he found the blade reaching to the cloth and beyond.

"I am going to teach you to respect me. You will learn how to fight better than a complete idiot like yourself. If you fail, I will kill you. Is that clear?"

A minor cold sensation overwhelmed with an unbearable burning along with some congealing liquid on his chest. He avoided the next hit, realizing that she had gone crazy. He had to defend himself!

He rolled once more and swiftly curled his hands around a longsword that lay at a distance. She came at him once more, this time her ferocity barely knowing any bounds.

He swung his body around the strikes, barely surviving getting sliced by this madwoman who didn't know how to stop. He cut a few arcs in the air, realizing that his Vespa had improved much. The regular sword that would have shattered at one strike had now become both his blade and his shield, as Tangerine used to call it.

"Good! Fight as if your life depends on it. Because it does!"

She had gone full-blown crazy. He evaded yet another throat, slicing hit, bending his knees momentarily and ducking under. Her hilt connected with his head momentarily, and he flew back. Good thing he didn't lose his breath.

Regaining his footing, the blade met with the opposing force in his hands. He realized why Clementine was against blocking a weapon with anything but a shield. The longsword in his hands gained cracks. Had his disciplined breath not infused enough Vespa, the blade would have been shattered into a million tiny pieces. Crossing blades against an emotionally unstable Eliza was a death sentence. He knew that now!

He leapt backwards, not caring about another cut. Desmend steeled his body with all that Vespa was coursing through his body. Just a little under…. just a bit!

He tried to soften her grip. Her focus was on aggression, which he could use to his advantage. The blade was merely holding itself, but he knew that he could land a decisive strike with quite enough Vespa. She kept swinging, losing sight of who was in front of her. His body twisted and turned, barely avoiding each swing. It was impossible for her to miss with that wild flailing. He even managed to land a hit, albeit a glancing one. But it was enough. Desmend kept dodging, setting his plan in motion.

Presenting himself out in the open, he challenged her. She didn't respond well, bellowing while throwing a full swing forward. He barely got out of this one.

"Oldest trick by the book!" She murmured the moment her weapon lodged in the pile of weapons. Her axe had plunged deeper into the group of spears and swords.

He snuck behind, wanting to the point that blade at her throat and declare this fight over. Except that she wasn't playing around! A new demonstration of Vespa was on display. Desmend saw her struggling momentarily while torrential waves of ire emanated from her body. His forehead tingled, and his head started aching. What was wrong with Eliza?! Something was transpiring, and he was afraid of her for the first time. Like actually fear this time. Her left foot stomped on the ground... and that was the last sight that he witnessed before falling backwards like a wooden log. To call it an explosion would be naïve. It was merely an expression of ire, a discharge of nerve-wracking Vespa. He knew if he hadn't shielded his arms and body with the defensive breath, his flesh would have sizzled. The moment he raised his head, cutting a glance in her direction, he didn't recognize her at all. She was no longer the damsel that he had mistakenly thought of her to be. A wounded and fiery dragon... that was what she looked like, one that emanated fire from within.

"Eliza!" He screamed her name, trying to shout some sense in her. It didn't work at all. Instead, she released a fiery expression of her power that travelled relentlessly towards Desmond, burning metal and wood alike.

He dashed to the side. She was definitely going to kill him!

"Desmond! Don't move!" She ordered him, even as she continued to advance upon him.

"Why?!" He asked her, his voice hoarse and raspy.

All he got was a purple fist that was on FIRE for his answer.

"Eliza, what the hell is wrong with you?!" He screamed once more, wondering if she had lost every shred of her sanity and had turned into a rabid beast…. with mind and wits.

"You are rarely serious, and you don't fight like your life depends on it. Chosen one or not...I don't care a whit about your hollow titular status! You look more like a joke to me!" She unleashed a volley of insults, her eyes glowing brightly. Removing her merciless cleaver from the pile of weapons and dashing towards him. Something was off about her as she came upon him like a ramming bull.

"What the hell has gotten into you?!" He shouted, swinging that longsword and deflecting yet another burning Vespa discharge that could have scraped the skin off his arms. Deflect and retreat, Clementine's golden words came to his rescue. Paying attention to all those lessons at early dawn and late at night was paying off. He could very well sense where Eliza would direct her next attack or what spot she would be targeting. He could sense her foul aura and that burning Vespa solely fuelled by hate and vengeance. This was not the very stern, stoic woman that Desmend was accustomed to observing in the throne room. The Eliza in front of him resembled that deadly warrior drawn on one of those battle tomes he had once searched in the archives. Every wielder of Vespa was different... every Vespa warrior was unique. Eliza's mother drew her Vespa from her ire, which often allowed her to take on hordes of enemies all by herself. Her daughter seemed to follow similar techniques, as apparent from her discharge. He knew pretty well that no ordinary Vespa warrior or wizard ever stood a chance...

But Desmond knew that he was no ordinary person, either. He was a chosen one, and that gave him the edge. He hopes…

He knew what to do, though it also meant a few days off the training grounds. Hoping his heart would still be beating after he had pulled this stunt, he straightened his sword and let his breath pour out of his mouth slowly, like the water stream. Then, drawing on that pool of swirling energy inside, he let himself be the carrier of the universal Vespa...seeing it everywhere in his mind's eye.

"Steadily!" He told his racing heart to contain all that energy as he gracefully extended his arms and let Eliza know his technique the hard way.

She collided with him with a force that would have razed an entire forest. Her axe had crumbled into dust, her bare fists now bearing the force of a thousand sledgehammers. He swiftly changed the course, letting the gushing river of energy guide that brute force elsewhere.

The ground to the left suffered the aftereffects. He prayed for no living being to be present on the premises, as the attack itself was nothing short of tremor that tore the ground apart.

Desmond struggled to remain on his two feet, but his left arm sizzled with pain. He knew his femur had withstood enormous pressure.

"I guess I am stronger than I thought I would be!" He exhausted himself with the statement, collapsing on the ground. Eliza's scream echoed in his ears as she rushed to his aid. Watching her getting closer, he made one last attempt at gathering whatever energy he could muster and throwing his body away from her. It worked to some extent. She then dashed to his side, wrapping his arms around his body.

"I wish I wasn't afflicted with nerve-wracking pain! Goddamn, your timing is so wrong!" He winced, succumbing to the pain that numbed his senses.

Clementine's face greeted him the moment he opened his eyes.

An episode of terror overcame him as he winced, watching Clementine's stream-like energy rushing through his body. She was in her usual intimidating battle armour, the glimmering dots in azure veil reminding him of the starry sky last night.

"Where am I?"

He struggled with his memories, turning his head while doing his best to ignore that lashing pain. His entire body ached...as if thrashed mercilessly.

"Huh... Eliza did a number on you, didn't she?" Clementine inspected him from head to toe, healing his wounds while settling on the side of that scarlet cushioned bed he was resting on. He struggled to get up but to no avail. "You're lucky you didn't break your bones."

"Damn, just when I had started taking a liking to Eliza, she roughed me up pretty badly!" He remembered the not so attractive details of that entire thrashing that he received on the battlefield.

"What had gotten into her, even?!" He flinched at the faintest sound in the corner. Now that his senses were returning, he could very well take in the ambience of this medical chamber. Clementine's scent drifted into his nostrils as he watched the flickering flames of those torches embedded at the side walls. It reminded him a lot of the Vespa he had faced while crossing swords with Eliza. Quite the fearsome woman she was!

"How long have I been here?" He inquired, still not entirely sure whether or not he had passed out for a while.

"It's midday... you've been asleep for almost three hours."

"Three hours?" He sat up, feeling a bit dizzy.

"If it makes you feel any better, please know that Eliza and I had a talk afterwards. She is extremely concerned about you, and...well…." Tangerine stuttered, her brown eyes bearing the slight hint of worry. Watching her face wilting with concern made his heart race once more. She was the calmest healer in the palace. If it worried her, it most certainly meant something grave had transpired somewhere.

"Tell me." He pleaded, seeing that familiar face that was usually composed and serene. He tried not to give into his anxiety. It was hard not to…

"You don't know, but...Eliza has issues!" Clementine whispered as if trying not to tell him that explicitly.

"Really? What gave that away?!" He smiled, grinning while doing his best to remember the version of Eliza before the onslaught.

"Come on! You came from another world. You don't know a thing about the pain of ancestral Vespa." She said, frowning as she turned her back to him.

He squinted his eyes, doing his best to remember if there was something as ancestral Vespa. All his lessons were about one of two ancient energies that circulated vastly around the universe and could be easily harnessed through symbols and breath. Torturing his aching head with the recollections of all those gruelling lessons bore no fruit. All it did was to increase his headache and nothing more.

"Alright then. You don't know! The generational Vespa is a sort of inherent energy carried from one generation to another. Eliza's maternal family hails from one of the fire Vespa practitioners that relied on their ire. Eliza's past is tragic that led to her inheriting the fire Vespa from her fearsome mother. At an early age, before our father died. Her mother did her best to raise her while tending to a group of warring tribes that she had to unite to fight a battle against the dark army in Aurarock. The warring tribes responded to a leader of power. They responded to brute force first and reason later. Long story short, the queen had to lead a broken army with chiefs that didn't trust each other against the black army hordes. Eliza accompanied her mother in that battle. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the kingdom's history. The duchess kept everyone together like a true leader. However, a moment came when there were very few survivors left, and the allies greatly dwindled in that battle. The queen then had to pray to the fire god and unleash Vespa within her… That battle is also known as the 'March of Gods' for a good reason. The duchess channelled powerful Vespa, and not only did she enhance her own abilities, but she also played the role of medium."

Clementine's voice was shaking as she held herself together. The images of that battle still played in her mind. Desmond felt the ache returning and her healing energy diminishing. Her mind was rattled with great stress.

He wondered how much she had seen and done during that brutal war. How many people she had killed, and how many she had been forced to kill.

Never get summoned into a realism world... It sucks.

"I still remember those days when the sweet morbid smell of death hung thick in the air, and there wasn't one leader to guide the warring tribes against the real foe. Finally, the duchess took the initiative, one that would cost her sanity, her life and her family later on. The medium is someone who awakens the powers within other clans. In the mystical laws that govern the flow of Vespa, the one who awakens the powers within another lower Vespa user can imply a condition. The duchess implied the conditions on other leaders that the tribes would never fight again and would unite as one army under the banner of a single city. The resulting force was something to be reckoned with. The battle that was supposed to have lasted months took only days to finish afterwards, with the army of this kingdom emerging victorious..." Clementine paused, then cleared her throat.

"Alas, the duchess couldn't survive the outflow of the Vespa. And after she perished, her father assumed the title of Duke again, and Eliza was sent here. Unfortunately, she also inherited those mystical Vespa bonds that her mother, the former duchess of Aurarock, had awakened."

He asked more, despite the itching pain and the ceasing Vespa that was fading from his body.

"But why did she lose her temper while training me? We were supposed to be going for a training session."

In return, he received that judgemental stare that he always found very irritating. Why would she shoot him that look?!

"Don't tell me you didn't inspect her from head to toe, or maybe talk about her physique… or fixate your stare on her chest!"

"Oh, come on! That's just kind of... come on, Clem! That doesn't mean she can try to kill me!"

"So, what did you do to her?!" Clementine yelled, her eyes widening.

"Nothing! I didn't do anything!" He tried to explain, but she shook her head in disbelief.

"Alright!" Clementine straightened her back and removed all that flow of healing Vespa from his body. He realized his body was in immense pain, with several bones broken all over.

"Nobody has told you this but, we are under a grave threat. Another war is imminent, and some of the kingdom's tribes have again started disputing. Eliza is undergoing hellish training to control her fire Vespa, or she will end up losing it all, and there will be nobody to guide her."

He clenched his jaw, displaying pain from his eyes. She understood at once, taking a deeper breath right before she let that energy course through his body once more. He felt the anguish alleviating and his body becoming lighter than the feather once more.

"Then?!" Now that the pain had subsided, the questions poured into his mind, and he asked her.

"Eliza has tried to control her fire Vespa more than once, but she cannot wield that sort of energy as she has before, and well, the reactions can sometimes be what you saw on the battlefield. But I am surprised at yet another occurrence. Really! What did you do that curbed Eliza's anger at once?"

He struggled for a few minutes and realized he had thought of doing something at the last minute. Then, the recollections hit him as he remembered the longsword deflecting that burst of attack released from the dragon girl.

"I… knew that she was overwhelmed with anger. Most of that anger was not directed at me but rather at my performance. And come to think of it, I did actually sense something else… like centuries of hatred gathered within her shivering heart. And despite what she did to me, I couldn't help but feel as if she was… afraid…."

He paused for a few moments, sensing a strange itch circulating through his entire body. Then, a few crackling sounds made him nearly leap out of his place.

"Hey! Stay in one position. Your bones have been cracked from all over the place. I am mending them!"

Only two things swarmed Desmond's mind at that point. One, he was now back to that gruelling training instead of getting tended by more female nurses in the palace. Of course, now that wouldn't be possible. Two, this Vespa stuff surprised him even more, as he had never realized such healing was possible. This type of healing is way different from Tangerine's mana healing. He felt the healing energy flowing through his body, with his muscles gradually tightening up. Though her way is waay more fun. Sleeping with two nude girls is very entertaining.

"Wait… how the hell are you are healing me so fast? Don't I get any rest?" He whined, and she couldn't help but smile at him for a moment.

"No, you crybaby. You don't get any rest. This healing energy that is circulating through your body is not that of a normal Vespa user. In fact, it comes from none other than Eliza's healing stones. I am wearing one right now! She is overwhelmed with guilt and shame for causing those injuries to you, so she wanted to undo it," Clementine revealed the presence of that emerald stone that she had been around her neck.

"But what did you do? What technique did you use at the last minute? The left side of that courtyard was wrecked, and you were lucky that the energy didn't hit you directly, or you would have been toast… like the longsword you decided to use at the last minute." She reminded him of that painful moment once more. He saw himself once more facing that Vespa breathing dragon and standing in front of her while hoping that he wouldn't be killed mercilessly. She had the potential to crush him like an ant.

"I deflected that attack. And above all, I knew she was furious. However, one emotion is more powerful than anger, and it is guilt. I could have kept evading her and not taken a hit," he smiled as his eyebrows shrugged in a showoff manner, and then Desmend resumed, "And then I knew she had a liking for me. So, I made her hit me with her finest attack and deflected all of it. I knew I took the hit for the worst, but then, I fell, and she came towards me, screaming my name... And not in a good way."

Clementine's attention span shortened once more, then she found herself dropping that healing altogether. He had to wince once more to make her get back to it. It didn't hurt that badly, though.

"Wow. So all those training lessons paid off. No one person had deflected any of Eliza's attacks besides the royal family and me, especially when she was in her bestial form. And to think you did it… means that you too are close to becoming an adequate Vespa user! Maybe a master?"

She pulled back after watching his face lighting up with excitement.

"Ok, maybe not a master. A master of Vespa would have completely deflected without getting harmed. But you managed something, and that means a lot. It means you are improving within your training. And not only that, but you have also grown accustomed to using your mind to win a battle as you did here. That is brilliant progress. And here I was, thinking that all you did was gawk at those passing maids and flirt with half the palace." She finally pulled back all that coursing energy.

Whatever she had done was quite effective, much to Desmond's dismay. He could no longer feel any pain or numbness. All he felt was a refreshed body with functioning arms and legs. He planned to spend at least a month or two with the healing.

Yeah, that quest can go to hell. It was too much work.

"You monstrous woman! You have taken away all that luxury! Now I will have to train in that courtyard once more tomorrow morning!" He dreaded at the notion, wishing to stay where he was for a little bit more. But, now that his body didn't ache, the cosiness of this room had faded as well.

"Oh no! Not at all! We are at the watershed moment in your training. Unless you commit to even more practice, you will not be able to do anything! And I am now adding the longsword training in your daily regimen!"

She dropped yet another bomb on him, and he winced, wishing some of his bones would remain broken. That thing around her neck was quite powerful. Hard to believe that only a few hours before, he had escaped with his life, and now he was ready to get up and swing another blade around the corner. The next moment, something like a shock travelled through his body as he struggled to unfocus on that memory. He saw Eliza charging at him once more.

"Oh…I forgot!"

He didn't understand the statement until she neared him and held that stone right in front of his eyes.

"Stare directly into this stone, and remember that memory once more!" She instructed.

"It is hard not to! It is pretty much lodged into my mind. And I want to get it out of there!" He murmured.

The green glow of that emerald pierced into his mind as he felt it reaching his memories. Eliza was gone in a moment or two, along with the trauma removing as if nothing had transpired at all.

"Oh, no! Heavens no!" He struggled with the words as he found once more on that battlefield, holding that longsword. Then, the next moment, he discovered that recollection wholly gone, along with the memory of that longsword deflecting the monstrous Vespa on one side.

"What the hell was that?!"

The session was over, and that was the only thing that came out of his mouth.

"Here you were, thinking that you were going to simply lay down in a chair and flirt with the palace maids while chewing on the cashews. Not at all…!" she giggled, much to his dismay.

"That is something known as trauma. You experienced something life-threatening on the battlefield, and your mind has now clung to that memory. What you displayed right now was a trauma response. You still fear the destruction headed your way. But thanks to this stone, now your memory has been suppressed."

He looked at the gem in her hands, responding with a faded glow. It was like a heartbeat in her hands.

"What is this thing? I have never seen such miraculous healing…." He could barely contain his surprise.

"And I'm guessing that it is one of the legendary Nebula Hearts that the queen used. That is what they are called, right?"

He surmised, and once more, her stare displayed appreciation. He had guessed it correctly.

"Well, yes! The queen, my half mother and Eliza's full mother, used the heart of nebula to heal her soldiers that were wounded on a battlefield. What you received was the equivalent of at least ten soldiers' healing. No wonder you look sprier than you were before." She carefully wrapped her fingers around the stone and carried it back into her pockets. He still couldn't close his jaw dropped with surprise.

"Unbelievable!" He could only express his wonder.

"And to think Eliza would let something like this be used on me. I am… humbled." He cleared his throat, clenching his hands into a fist.

"She would never have agreed to it. But she knows that she did a number on you. So, she allowed it. And sent you another present." Clémentine stepped away, walking towards the end of the chamber, from where she took out an ornamental box. Its mahogany sides were adorned with golden strips that curled around its edges.

"What is that?" He tried to take that from her hands, receiving a slight slap on his wrist.

"Nope! It is one of the Nebula weapons to be used with nothing but extreme caution and grace. Unfortunately, you lack both, so you only get to see the contents from a distance." She chuckled.

Despite his grunting, she didn't let him hold it. Instead, unbolting the lid, she gradually lifted it and took out the glowing red rod the size of her palms.

"What the hell is that?!" He wanted nothing more than to leap forward and put it in his hands. He wanted to savour the feeling of touching it, and test it out in battle, whatever it was.

"It is…" She pressed something like a button and within a few seconds, the end of that rod extended into a gigantic sword. The graceful weapon bore different shades at once, and more were forming gradually.

"Is it a scarlet longsword?!" He could barely believe his eyes. She swung it, and he knew it had some form of Vespa stored inside it.

"I cannot freaking believe it! Seriously! Makes me want to make another bet with Eliza and win this time!"

His statement became a source of confusion for Clementine. She looked at him from head to toe, checking for a possible head injury. He was perfectly alright.

"What do you mean? What kind of bet did you make with Eliza?! I thought I ordered you retract your previous bet on her!?" The tomboyish woman glared at him.

He realized why she was angry then, and that fierce dragon woman was wearing the practical maid outfit that revealed too much of her skin.

"Oh yes, I made a bet with her that if she could control her fire Vespa and light a candle without losing it all, I would owe her a big favour. Like walking out of the palace and living on the side of the road kind of favour. Of course, she would never agree, so I had to play some bets. And she kind of tried to release her fire Vespa the night before. And she tried so hard but then failed. She ended up blowing the entire chamber!" He chuckled as he remembered the sight of her face burning with frustration and disappointment. Desmend remembered the vivid details. Clementine moved forward and dropped that gift on the floor, much to his dismay. Her hands connected with his cheek in a painful slap.

"What the hell?!"

He protested. She bore that annoying judgemental look again.

"My sisters and I do our best not to let her lose her cool. And you freaking made a bet with her, enticing her to release all her Vespa at once. And why do I get the feeling that you aren't being entirely honest? No way would Eliza ever agree to such a bet!"

"Ah yes, I lied about seeing something like a vision about her mother or so!" He received yet another slap for this. "I didn't know about the details of her death when I said it." Desmend tried to defend his actions.

"You are despicable. I would say you got what you deserved. We don't make these kinds of bets or lie like this! But, seriously, Desmond, when will you see the gravity of your actions? For punishment, you will have to 1,000 hand strikes, lunges, and movements for tonight's training!" She declared, and he couldn't help but wish that he was back on that cushioned bed, broken and wincing.

"I can I say no?" He begged, a little annoyed that she was so harsh.

"You are supposed to agree!" She retorted, but then she seemed to change her mind. "No! You will not agree to anything. Just accept your fate and keep trying to improve yourself. The training will continue tonight, and we will also add the short sword to your repertoire."

Desmend can only groan at his future torture. "Why me and not Arthur or Kuzco?" He whispered whined to himself.