Chapter Thirty Two: Time to Learn

After Cin left to deal with the Palton Ambassador I found myself at something of a lose. The thoughts flowing through my mind were idea's that I had played with before but I had believed it was too early, too dangerous, to even think about involving the children. I had to take the feelings of my Knight's into account. Even Marwenna. I had come to the conclusion that I should wait, tell the others first and then ease in the Knight Descendants at a later time, hopefully with everyone present so that it would be easier to believe. Now I realised that I had no other option. They were here.

I had to tell the Knight Descendants who I am.

I sighed as I followed the young maid down the corridors of The Red Citadel. Cinder had called to one of the many servants that roamed the hall outside my room and asked her to escort me to the kitchen to get something to eat. The expression of fear on the maids face when my daughter had talked to her had irked me to no end, but I realised quickly that Cin had earned such a reputation with her bloodlust and monthly Hunts. I shouldn't have been surprised but it was annoying none the less. I had felt the same way whenever someone had looked at Cinder like that in Ellai. They didn't know her. She was good, she was kind, she was loyal. But they saw nothing but the monster.

“It's just down the corridor to your right here, my lord. Would you like me to escort you the rest of the way?” The maid said with a bowed head, her voice kept an even keel.

I shook my head “No, that's no problem. I know you have other duties. Believe it or not I was once a servant in a palace much like this.”

The maid looked up with wide eyes “Truly, my lord?”

“Truly. Although that was a long time ago... longer than I care to remember. Please, carry on, I can find my way around from here.”

The young woman gave another bow before turning and walking in the opposite direction in a hurried manner while I continued down the corridor, marvelling at the ingenuity of the vampires.

The Red Citadel was truly a beautiful palace, while the throne room was kept intentionally dark, every other space was well lit with beautiful tapestries on the walls and open aired windows that looked out over the city and into the central courtyard.

From what Cinder had told me the training ground where Black Tusk were currently fighting was once a garden that she had removed. Apparently the head grounds-keeper had kicked up a fuss about the whole predicament. I suppose it's easy to guess what happened to him. He was dead before the end of the day and a gold piece was given to his family as compensation. It might seem cruel, but Cin had gotten a lot better recently. I could tell because once upon a time she wouldn't have bothered with the gold coin.

I chuckled darkly at my wandering thoughts before the scent of freshly baked bread assaulted my senses. I felt my stomach grumble with anticipation as I easily followed the scent down a smaller side corridor and into a large, heavily populated room that I guessed was the kitchen.

Five large fires burned in the centre, with huge pots resting over each. Breakfast had been served quite a while ago so I guessed they were preparing food for lunch. A stew perhaps?

I felt my mouth begin to water at the sight even as I noticed the many preparation tables that ringed the room. Stoves and large ovens were also present though they exuded no heat. Must be for dinner only.

In one corner was an open door into another slightly smaller room, filled with large barrels that I could only assume was wine. I doubted very much that they stored blood down here, it goes cold after a while and vampires always preferred the life giving liquid as fresh as possible.

I have to say that I was surprised by the pure amount of food that they were making. It must be from here that they feed the entire castle. Cinder doesn't eat solid food, she had always said that it gives her a stomach ache and the blood of animals does little to sate her thirst. This must be for everyone else, perhaps the staff included.

While Vampires can eat food for sustenance it is very much a short term solution and a luxury that few can afford. Blood is the only thing they require and in Scarl Forest it is a traded commodity. There are more than a few wealthy merchants houses in the city below that trade with blood exclusively, only offering the finest to those with the means to afford it. Well, that was four hundred years ago, but things like that don't change.

“Hey! What are you doing down here! If the cook see's you, you'll be thrown out on your ass!” came a hiss from my right side.

I turned and saw a man covered in flour, his hands up to his forearms plastered with the stuff, while his apron seemed to be nearing the same state.

I raised my hands in a placating manner “Forgive me, but I was told to come down here to get something to eat?”

I wasn't surprised that he thought of me as just another hungry staff member, I was wearing the grey clothes and black cloak that Ada had procured for me and, while they were finely made, they were definitely not something that a noble would wear. Xolumbrandir was attached at my belt but it looked quite ordinary inside it's sheath and my mask was hidden behind my long cape.

The man grunted and smacked his hands together, causing flour to rise up into the air around him.

“New start huh? You got a sword, you the new guardsman?” He asked before walking towards me, the edge seemed to have left his tone and replaced by one a mite friendlier.

“Yes sir, I've just started today, was told to come down here but I'll leave if it's inconvenient.” I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. It was easier to let him believe the white lie than to tell him that I actually his Queens father, which made me one of the greatest figures in Vitan history. That would have had made the conversation a touch more difficult.

“huh, no problem, sorry about that. We've been getting a lot of vagrants wondering in here looking for blood. Have a seat over there. You're in luck, I just baked a fresh batch and we've got plenty of stew to go around. The Queen doesn't eat any you see and there are very few guests in the rooms.”

I nodded gratefully to the man before heading to the old table that he indicated. It took but a few seconds before the man returned and put a large bowl of stew down in front of me as well as a half loaf of bread.

“My thanks, friend” I said even as I began to inhale the food. By the Bitch, I didn't realise how hungry I was.

The baker shrugged “No problem, we who serve have to stick together right? If you have any questions about the castle, just let me know. I've been here since before Queen Cinder took over, nearly five hundred years in total now.” He replied with a smile, proud of his status as one of the longest serving in the castle.

“I actually have a few if it would be ok? Can we talk while I eat?”

“Of course! Honestly, that was my last batch until dinner so I have the time, what would you like to know?” The man said as he took a seat opposite me at the rickety table, but not before he poured himself a mug of water.

For a few seconds we were silent as I continued with my meal, losing myself in rich flavours of the stew and the texture of the still hot bread.

“I was actually wondering about my first assignment. I've been told to go to the Queen's training ground.”

The man's eyebrows raised “Ah, you've been assigned to guard Lady Bell. Lovely woman, I have to say. She's always been kind to us. She and her mother, Palite, used to be servants here like us, I believe that's why.”

“Palite? What was she before she was the royal steward?”

“She was in charge of the maid's I believe, damn good at her job too. Of course, that was before the young Queen arrived and made her steward. Lot of nobles didn't like it, but they didn't get to say much before the Red Lady dealt with them.” The man laughed at his own words and took another sip of his water as the laughter faded.

“Red Lady? I assume that name because Cinder is fond of mortal blood?”

“Yeah, that one took hold soon after she took over. I was quite happy with the whole thing, still am if I was being honest. It wasn't good before when the Old Queen was in charge. She treated people who weren't high born like maggots and everyone knows that she was sucking the church's cock on a daily basis. Trying to milk as much influence out of it as she could.” The man laughed again.

I nodded, smiling along with the man.

“So, do you know how I get to the training ground from here? I have to be there pretty soon and I don't want to end up missing Lady Bell.”

The man chuckled “Yeah, that would be pretty bad. Thankfully, it's pretty close by. You should probably stop by the barracks as well, pick up a uniform from there. The Captain likes all his guards in uniform at all times while inside the castle...” He said the last part some what suspiciously, looking at the clothes I was wearing “Honestly, I can't believe they let you in as you are. Quite a strange thing I have to say.”

I merely shrugged “ Like I said, it's my first day. I don't really think I have to wear a uniform, I was told I would be escorting the Lady Bell and her companions throughout the city later today and it would be better if I was dressed as a civilian for obvious reasons.” The lie flew easily from my lips.

As much as I hated lying, I didn't want anyone to know who I was yet. That's how things got out of hand. I would rather be in control of my identity and how it was distributed.

The man laughed “Well, I have to say that you're a lucky man. Getting to spend all day with those beautiful women. I'd give my left nut just to be allowed to talk with them. But I know my wife would kill me.”

We spent but a few more minutes there in silence as I finished my meal before I decided to take my leave and thank the man. He was kind enough to give me directions to the sparring area which I was happy to realise was quite close.

After leaving the kitchen I only had to walk for a short time before the sounds of battle began to ring out in the halls around me. Many of the staff members I passed had pale faces and moved at a brisk pace, as if afraid that if they stayed too long in this area they would somehow become unwitting participants in Bell's training.

It was as I walked passed the next corner that I found a large open balcony to the right that overlooked a large dust covered arena, the ground beaten down for optimum movement, circular in design. The balcony offered a clear view of the happenings below and I saw several of the braver staff members watching on in awe, peaking over the edge at the four black garbed women that moved with magical speed below.

“I can't believe how powerful Bell has become. I remember when she was still that little girl who lived with us in the staff quarters.” One woman whispered which received a bout of nodding heads from the others who watched.

“I wouldn't expect anything less from her. She was trained by the Queen after all, and it seems the rest of her group are just as strong.” An old man with kind eyes and a long white beard said in reply.

Curious, I joined the rest of the servants at the edge of the balcony. They barely gave me a glance as I stood next to them. Some noticed my sword but didn't say anything. Carrying weapons was common and it wasn't like an ordinary swordsman would be very effective if they wanted to hurt anyone. From what Cin had told me she only employed guards with magical ability and had tutors on staff to help them increase their power. It slowed down the recruiting process but it was a good policy to have. An army of regular people would fall short to even a single unit of mages.

As I looked over and into the arena below I saw that Bell and Ursula were fighting Leigh and Ada.

As I watched Bell struck forwards, her hair sweeping back as she tried to close the distance between Ada and herself. The archer was staying true to her weapon and trying to keep as much space between herself and the others as possible, letting off arrows at even the smallest opportunity while Leigh desperately moved between Bell and Ursula, trying to keep the two of them off her teammate, but not doing so well.

Ursula was keeping Leigh stationary. While she hadn't changed into her wolf form, she seemed to be pretty good with her hands. All wolf kind were. They preferred not to use weapons and instead relied on their natural gifts for combat. Wolf kind began training in the ways of war very early on in life. This was mainly due to how much combat factored into their social standing. Mating, leadership or even earning respect, all of it required feats of physical prowess. While nearly all wolf kind had magic, very few chose to develop the skill as they believed it was something akin to cheating. I remember getting Abhor to learn more about his affinity with earth had been a trial as he constantly told me 'Wolves have no need for pitiful magic.'

I just kept beating him in combat until he realised that was a false statement.

My mind was drawn back to the sight in front of me as I heard a cry of pain. It seems that Ada had fainted an attack on Bell and had instead send an arrow imbued with the power of sound towards Ursula. The arrow had hit and, while it had been blunted for training, the magic within it exploded with force, causing the wolf kind to emit a painful cry as her hands clamped over her ears. Leigh took the opportunity with no hesitation and brought her blade down into the wolf kinds arm before spinning and spending a power kick to her torso, sending Ursula flying across the arena and out of the large circle.

I couldn't help but sigh. It seems like there is a lot of work to do with these young women. They were brazen, their attacks were without real thought. Ada's arrow was a good attack but one that could've easily hurt Leigh if it had been off by a millimetre. I didn't doubt Ada's skill with a bow, I had experienced it myself first hand, but that didn't mean she should take risks that could put her team mates in danger.

Bell and Ursula's tactics were slightly better but still flawed. They should have both attacked Leigh at once, keeping the elf between them and the skilled archer. I had no doubt that their combined skill would overcome her within seconds. So why split up and attack from two different directions?

As I thought that Bell suddenly sped towards Leigh, completely changing targets, rushing the elf who had decided to take a moment to rest after defeating her opponent.

Ah, clever.

It seems that Bell knew that Leigh would think she was safe after knocking Ursula out of the circle and it would give her some breathing room. She was wrong however.

Bell closed the distance in less than a second and brought her training axe down onto the girls shoulder with a shuddering impact. Leigh cried out in pain and tried to raise her sword but the blade wasn't fast enough to stop the blast of fire that emanated from the palm of Bell's other hand, causing the air to suddenly become very hot and humid as the blast lifted Leigh off her feet and sent her out of the circle.

The servants around me cheered quietly at Bell's victory, but I just grunted. It was a good strategy, but I hope it wasn't one she and Ursula had planned out before going into this battle. It may be training, but sacrificing someone just to take out one opponent was a foolish approach.

Bell immediately spun to face Ada just as Leigh landed outside of the arena, just in time to throw herself out of the way of the three arrows that would've taken her out of the competition.

The archer moved with a grace that was hard to define. Each movement was both slow and fast at the same time, the action of drawing an arrow from her quiver, knocking it and firing were as sharp as me with Xolumbrandir. Like I said before, you can always tell a master from an amateur from the precise movements and Ada's attacks were always exactly the same and calmly executed.

Bell moved with a slight desperation now, she was trying to get closer to her opponent, Ada not giving her the chance.

I felt Bell try to draw in mana to control her magic but the constant stream of arrows seemed to break her concentration. I mentally ticked another thing that I needed to work on them with. They needed to be able to use their magic in any situation, not just lulls in combat. I could understand why she was finding it difficult, it was much easier too draw upon mana when you were facing an opponent with a sword or axe. An archer was constantly laying pressure on you, no matter how close or far you were. It was something that I myself had to overcome when I was younger. Thankfully, I had enough exercises in mind to help her with this particular problem.

I finished this thought as the battle ended. Bell gave a cry of pain as an arrow hit her in the abdomen, then in the shoulder and finally in the centre of her torso.

The final arrow was the most powerful. It didn't seem to be sound imbued and instead seemed to just be concentrated air which exploded with a bang and sent Bell out of the arena, ending the training session.

Groans erupted around me from the servants who had wanted to see Bell win the bout and I heard the word 'cheat' thrown around various times. I rolled my eyes and placed a hand on the balcony. I vaulted myself over with ease, not even softening my fall as I landed lightly on my feet thanks to the capabilities of my new body.

The soft thud of my arrival was more than enough for Black Tusk to know I was here. They had various reactions to my arrival. Ursula groaned, Bell grunted, Leigh gave a shy wave and Ada, well... Ada hugged me.

“Corus! Did you see that! I totally took them both down, did you see?” She said excitedly, almost as if she was looking for my approval.

I smiled at the young archer “Yeah, I saw, Ada. Which brings me to why I'm here. I was going to ask you all something.”

“What is it, your maj-” Bell stopped mid sentence and looked at the servants standing on the balcony. They probably couldn't hear, but it's better to be safe than sorry. “All of you! Back to work now or I will be letting the Queen know exactly what you've been doing when you were on duty!”

At her words the servants suddenly all got pale faces and seemed to disappear, moving a speed that was pretty close to being magical in nature.

Once we were sure they were all gone, the others gathered in front of me after Leigh healed their wounds, Ada eventually letting go after Ursula and Bell helped to pull her off.

I smiled at the four women “I'm sorry that I couldn't really stay and talk yesterday. I didn't want you to think that I was ignoring you, I just really needed to get some sleep. When I entered into that comatose state it wasn't really sleeping as much as it was my body completely shutting down. I needed some proper rest to get back to my best self.”

“That's good, cause we thought you were trying to avoid paying us.” Ursula said with folded arms and squinted eyes.

“Ursula! Stop!” Leigh hissed quietly at her companion, her eyes widened in a panic.

“Ha! Yeah, where's our fucking money, Corus?” Ada said with a sarcastic seriousness, lifting her bow in an exaggerated manner.

Bell sighed “I'm sorry about them, your Majesty. Cin already sorted out the money issue so there's no problem there. But didn't she already tell you that?”

I nodded, Cin had told just before she left my room that she had paid Black Tusk for their services, but I didn't like people paying my way for me, especially my own daughter.

“She did, but I thought I would offer you something in turn. Training.”

All four of the girls stared at me confused for a second before Ada's eyes began to glow with excitement.

“Yes! Training from the Rebel King? I'm in! Let's do this, I'm going to be so fucking good at this, you have no idea!” Ada's ramblings continued about how amazing she was going to be at training while the others continued to stare.

“What can you really teach me, Corus? You may be the Rebel King and you may be powerful, but you aren't wolf kind...” Ursula said the words with a little bit of hesitation within them, as if she was afraid I had nothing to teach her about wolf kind fighting abilities.

“Plenty, Ursula. Remember that I taught Abhor some and he is considered the greatest combatant of your race. He mostly fights in his wolf form and, if you like, I could teach you the same way. But magic is a necessity. You must develop all of your weapons, not just your physical gifts.”

Ursula stared at me for a few seconds before giving me a rare smile, which I gladly returned.

“I'm in, sir... I'd like to learn your sword techniques... they say you were the best of your time. I'd love to learn more, meeting Lor the sea prince reminded me that I need to become better in that field.” Leigh said thoughtfully.

“Of course, Leigh, I would be more than happy to show you.”

Bell was the last to speak of the four and also seemed to be the most hesitant, as if she was afraid she would say the wrong thing.

“Your Majesty, I would be honoured if you would teach us to fight like the Knights.” Bell said with a bow.

“Bell, you don't have to be so formal, I'm really not a very kingly person. You can just call me Corus.”

“I couldn't, your Majesty, it wouldn't be right.”

I mentally sighed before clapping my hands causing the four of to jump slightly, pulling them back from their thoughts of power on par with my Knights.

“I have several things I want to focus on in today's training. I saw most of the first bout from the balcony and I have to say, I wasn't impressed.”

Suddenly Black Tusk's faces all fell, even Ada who began to examine her feet.

“They way you fight is too aggressive. You should be fighting smart instead of with brute force. Out of all of you, Ada was fighting the smartest” the archer's eyes lifted, filled with joy “But even she made some serious mistakes” and just like that her eyes fell again.

“What do you think we could be doing better, your Majesty?” Bell asked, slipping easily back into her role as Commander as she swept her short hair behind her ears, her blood red eyes focused on me intensely.

“Your strength comes from your unity. I see the way you move around each other, the way you talk to each other. I've never seen you fight as a unit, but I can already tell that you fight best when it is all four of you on one side of the conflict. That is what we're going to work on today. These two vs two battles may be good for polishing skills but they can often do the opposite. It's better to play to your strengths than to exaggerate your weaknesses. The Knight's and I never really fought together, but when we did we knew where to strike and how to win without impeding the others.”

Ursula raised a hand and I indicated for her to ask her question

“But what if we get separated? What if we don't have the option of fighting together?” She asked curiously.

“Good question. That is something that I will be handling in individual training sessions. Over the course of the training I'll be taking you all aside one at a time and teaching you new methods and techniques. However, it will be up to you to keep your teammates informed of your progress and how to integrate everything you've learned into team play. That's where Bell comes in.”

I turned to the vampire who still listened intently to my every word.

“Bell, you're going to start working on contingencies for every situation you can think of. What if you get separated like Ursula said? Do you have a plan for that? Will you meet at a certain location? What if one of your members gets killed? What's the plan for that scenario? What if one of you is taken hostage? Do you have strategies for engaging one opponent as well as groups of assailants? These are just some of things you have to think about. Plans are important. It was something Heilvol repeatedly knocked into me and I believe it to be truth. Remember its rarely the most powerful opponent who wins, it's the smartest.”

Bell nodded at my words and I saw the others contemplate it as well, I noticed their faces went slightly pale when I mentioned that they needed a plan in case one of them fell in battle.

“What I'm saying might seem harsh, but you must be ready for these things. If one of you fell in battle, you would be of little use to the others if you became an emotional wreck. Now, take position.”

They looked at me blankly for a second, before their eyes lit up in understanding. Bell, Leigh and Ursula began to shiver slightly with excitement at the prospect of the battle to come. On the other hand, Ada's shoulders slumped and she let out a sigh.

“What's wrong?” I heard Leigh ask the archer as they made their way to the other side of the arena.

“This is going to hurt...” Ada sighed even as she began to stretch.

“It can't be that bad, can it?” Ursula grumbled as she began to prepare herself.

Ada looked sharply at the wolf kind “He almost killed me last time we fought! He made a fucking crater in the ground with my body!”

“Silence! Focus. We're here to learn so we do what we usually do when fighting a single opponent, focus on protecting Leigh, Ada gives cover. Ursula, we flank.” Bell said, her tone filled with authority.

“Yes, commander!” The girls said and they took position, Ada at the back with Leigh in front, her face suddenly becoming a mask of indifference.

That was interesting. Leigh was their front runner?

Bell and Ursula were on Leigh's right and left respectively and they nodded at me, ready to begin the bout.

I nodded in return and raised a hand “Because it wouldn't be fair, I won't use magic while we train. But do not underestimate me because of that. Give me your all. Begin!”

For a moment there was silence until they burst forwards, Leigh moving with an explosive speed, Bell and Ursula right on her tail as Ada drew her first arrow.

I could see immediately that they worked better when all four of them fought together. In the previous bout there had been a clunkiness and awkwardness to their movements. Now that was all but gone, each one of them knew their purpose in the unit and wanted to show me just how good they were.

But I wasn't going to stretch out this battle to let them save face.

I burst forwards from my spot on the arena, the ground cracking even without mana running through my veins, it was at least the match of Leigh's magically enhanced speed and I saw the girls eyes widen at the sight. They had assumed that all my power was magical. They had assumed that, while I wouldn't be easy to take down, they could still match my strength and speed without mana. They were wrong.

I arrived in front of Leigh and ducked under the swift slash of her sword, it sweeping over my head and missing by inches. I took advantage of Ursula and Bell being slightly behind the elf and drew Xolumbrandir half way out of it's scabbard, the dark grey pommel colliding with Leigh's abdomen.

The girl gave out a cry of pain and her eyes suddenly filled with emotion that had not been there a moment before. Just as suddenly, I returned Xolumbrandir to it's scabbard and ran past her, even as she fell to the ground. She most likely had some internal bleeding, possibly some broken bones but nothing life threatening. I would have to reign in my strength.

“Ursula, now!” Bell cried at the sight of Leigh hitting the ground.

The wolf kind gave a very literal roar and suddenly her body started to change, her armour shaking and falling off her body as her limbs began to elongate and sprout hair. In a matter of moments a full grown she wolf stood before me, her body bristling with barely contained anger at me hurting Leigh.

I assumed at this point that they thought I would go for the easiest target, which would appear to be Bell, then get Ursula to attack me from behind while Ada peppered me with arrows. But I made a beeline for the wolf kind.

It was now that arrows started to collide with the ground around me, barely missing my body as I twisted and turned to avoid them. Ada was who I had to watch the most carefully, she had already proven she took risks when it came to her shots, but I assumed that when I was close to Ursula that she would stop shooting, because of the larger chance of hitting the large wolf.

I was correct.

When I was close to Ursula, the wolf lashed out with her jaws trying to catch me in her huge teeth and cut me in half. I avoided the snapping vice by a millimetre and wrapped one of my arms around her heavily muscled neck, calling upon all of my new body's strength. Bell, who was running towards me, suddenly stopped, the fireball that had been building in her hand fading to nothing as her mouth became agape at what I was doing.

Honestly if I saw someone do this I would think they were crazy too. Even Elves and Dwarves fell sup par to wolf kind in their true forms in terms of strength. But I knew that this rule didn't apply to me.

I lifted Ursula into the air by her neck, my muscles straining with the effort of lifting the five metre long, nine foot tall wolf above my head. For a mere second we were locked in stasis as Ursula's limbs rapidly moved, trying to throw me off balance, before I fell backwards, throwing a large part of my strength into the attack, slamming Ursula so hard into the ground that it cracked from the pressure.

Immediately the sound of whining filled the air as the wolf laid still, obviously in great pain. I ignored it and jumped to my feet. She would not die from such an attack, I knew the limits of my new strength enough to know that my attack wouldn't kill her.

I moved aside just in time to avoid three more arrows fired by Ada and ran towards Bell. The vampire eyes narrowed as she saw me approach and I felt mana rush inside of her as flames coated her dagger and axe.

Bell's attacks were long and sweeping with the axe, followed by jabs with her dagger, usually aimed at my eyes and groin. I could tell that she was perhaps the most martially skilled of all of them, but her emotions were clouding her judgement. Seeing Ursula and Leigh brought down so easily must've not been easy for her to take and it was effecting her far too much. It was an easy weakness to exploit.

It was as Ada fired a sound arrow that I made my move. Bell made a large sweeping attack with her flaming axe and I easily grabbed her over extended arm and twisted, spinning and sending Bell into the arrows path.

It was a good thing that the explosion of sound was limited to the target as I would have been close enough for it effect me, but the arrow did it's job and Bell gave out a cry of pain before hitting the ground, holding her bleeding ears.

Ada appeared shocked for but a single moment before she gave a slightly angry shake of her head and fired another arrow towards me. I didn't move to avoid this one, instead I stretched out with my senses and felt for where the arrow would be.

Then I plucked it out of the air.

Ada's mouth fell open and I gave her a little smile, before throwing the arrow at her, faster than she could fire from her bow.

It hit her chest with terrific force and she was thrown out of the arena, hitting the slightly softer ground outside of it and groaning with pain as she rolled from side to side, holding her torso with her eyes closed.

The whole battle had taken about one minute.

“Fuck! Corus... you said you weren't going to use magic.” Ada said as she continued to roll on the ground.

“I didn't. Leigh, are you ok?”

I turned to find the elf looking shaken but in one piece “Yes, Corus... I've never felt anything like that... I managed to heal the damage.”

I nodded “Good. Time to heal the others, the next bout begins in less than thirty seconds.”

Bell pulled herself to her feet, looking at me blankly. I realised that she couldn't hear anything because of the effect of Ada's sound magic. Leigh quickly moved over to her and fixed her ears before dashing towards Ursula to heal the huge wolfs wounds.

“So... did you learn much, your Majesty?” Bell asked, her hands shaking slightly with adrenaline.

I nodded “I did. I confirmed my suspicions. The potential you all hold is immense. By the time I'm done with all of you, you'll be as good as my Knight's. But we have a lot of work to do before then. Get ready for the next round!”

As I walked back to my spot I heard Ursula begin to talk with Ada.

“You were right, Ada.” The giant wolf grumbled.

“What do you mean?”

“He made a crater using my body!”

“Ha, I fucking told you!”