Death Smith - Book 1 - Chapter 15

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Educational bruises

Three weeks ago.

February, 14 AR.

United Kingdom, London, inside the GRRO training facility.

Two figures were sprinting and jumping over obstacles within training room 12a. The large room housed many training obstacles to get over or go through to better prepare a Rifter for an actual Rift. Artificial rain, temperature, fog, or lighting, all of it was available to recreate different climates and weather.

“Faster,” Daniel said, watching them from the side-lines. His left hand cupped his right upper arm, massaging the part where the arm suddenly stopped.

“Thomas, pick up the pace,” He commented, observing the two young men on the obstacle course, throwing themselves over logs, climbing up ropes, tackling heavy sandbags to the ground or kicking them away.

Daniel watched Thomas force a heavy sandbag to the side with one kick. His Strength fuelled frame allowed Thomas to bulldoze through the course. The added strength even fuelled his speed, his increased leg strength allowing Thomas to propel himself forwards with great momentum.

Shifting his gaze to the side, he noticed Lance, seeing the man’s agile frame scaling a wall with ease. Daniel could see Lance’s increased Agility and Perception at play, with Lance almost instinctually knowing where he could find the best grip or at what angle he should place a leg.

A soft smile appeared on Daniel’s features as he recalled just how he had first met the two lads back in the hospital. From two nurses, the men were transforming into hardened Rifters. As he suspected, the experience of clearing minor Rifts had steeled their resolve and brought back their confidence.

“Lance… Are you letting Thomas walk all over you?” Daniel inquired, watching Lance throw the sandbag to the side, noting just how much further Thomas had kicked it. It was clear to Daniel where Thomas had been spending his points. In his mind, Daniel was already blaming Dieter for the bad influence on Thomas.

“And time!” Daniel shouted, pressing against the timer on his stopwatch and waiting for the two Rifters to join him. He handed them both a bottle of water before he scribbled down his notes on a notepad.

Both Lance and Thomas had taken off their shirts and were wringing out large amounts of sweat. Six months ago, both men had average physiques. They had changed a lot since then. Thomas’s strong build had gained more definition and had primal energy to it. Lance’s lanky frame had bulked up and, coupled with his tall height, had an explosive element.

“So… how did we do?” Lance asked Daniel, panting as he finished his water. Daniel checked the numbers once more before he replied.

“Faster than last time. Still, you guys have room for improvement. Next up, the weapons room,” Daniel said, leading the tired men towards the weapons room. Like last time, Lance and Thomas would have to use many sorts of weapons and tools. Some days Daniel trained them with blades or blunt weaponry, other times they were at the shooting range, using pistols, rifles or bows. Thomas was usually the most exited when it came to firearms.

Daniel had explained that he wanted them to have as much experience with various types of weaponry. This was to get them to learn which weapon suited them best and to keep them flexible and adaptive. It had made sense to the young men. There wasn’t a single weapon that was suitable for every type of monster. Sometimes you needed a cutting tool or a blunt weapon. Other times you wanted range on your side.

Today it was throwing weaponry. Daniel instructed them how best to throw knives, axes and heavy orbs while jumping or moving left and right. Daniel awarded each successful throw with a thumbs up, while rewarding a miss with another set of push-ups.

“Don’t overthink it. Your brain will follow your eyes through experience and practice,” Daniel coached them through their practice while occasionally showing his own throws. He wasn’t a fan of the throwing axe but knew the benefit of learning how to throw various types of weapons.

They spent an hour like this, with the men learning how to throw in a straight line, a curved one, or even attempt to ricochet and hit something behind cover. When the timer rang once more, they would see Daniel smiling.

Thomas was the first one to take the bait. “What? Why the cheerful expression?”

“I am proud of you, lads. So, I figured you have earned yourself a treat,” Daniel said, with Thomas and Lance slowly feeling more and more uncomfortable the longer they stared at Daniel’s smile. It was almost an instinctual response when prey would sense a predator nearby.

Daniel simply ignored it as he placed a hand on Thomas’s shoulder and squeezed it softly. “The treat is a sparring match with yours truly,” Daniel said, still smiling at Thomas while his left hand suddenly shot out to the side, gripping Lance by the neck as the lad was making a run for it.

* * * * *

-Bang!-

-Bang!-

The air was thick with the smell of sweat and the sounds of bodies hitting the training mat. Daniel had planted himself in the centre. His one arm held outwards in an offensive position as he glanced at the two battered Rifters that he had knocked down mere moments ago.

“Ever heard of pulling your punches?” Thomas asked as he rubbed his jaw, slowly climbing on his feet. Lance followed afterwards, sporting a bloody nose and a nice bruise on his temple, courtesy of Daniel, who had knocked both men on their rear within a few seconds.

“I have, Thomas. And I was,” Daniel commented as he heard Lance groan while rubbing a bloody nose, wiping away a bit of blood. Afterwards, Lance was keen to share his thoughts.

“I think Dieter might be a gentler soul compared to you. You realise you outrank us by quite a bit, right?” Lance said to Daniel, hoping to get a reaction from him. ‘Even holding back, the man can outpace us with ease,’ Lance thought.

Daniel simply watched the young Rifters, occasionally shaking his head. It was true. There was a vast difference in terms of ability and experience, yet that was precisely why Daniel was training them. To get them used to fighting more dangerous enemies. Better to endure a brutal training than to be ill-prepared in the field.

“Come on, lads. Youth is on your side. Not to mention a second arm,” Daniel said with an amused expression as he flexed his muscles once more, afterwards signalling that they should try again.

Lance thought about ways to beat Daniel as he watched the experienced Rifter get back into a fighting stance. ‘Although Daniel said his class relied mostly on agility and perception, he still hits like a truck. We need to try something else,’ Lance thought, planning their next move.

“Thomas, you got this,” Lance said, getting Thomas’s attention.

“I got this?” Thomas said, his head snapping towards Lance’s.

“Yes,” Lance replied, reassuring his friend.

“Are you mental? I’d have more luck fighting a pack of gorillas. You saw how he literally tossed me around like a rag-doll, right?” Thomas exclaimed.

Lance held up his hands to calm his friend. He had to get Thomas on board. “Yeah, but I thi-”

“Lance... He threw me around the room like he was my stepdad, and I spilt his beer. What do you think I could do?” Thomas asked Lance, as he circled around Daniel, seeing a dozen of openings, yet no doubt all clever traps prepared by Daniel.

Lance needed a motivated Thomas, otherwise he would not go in seriously. “His ego, Thomas. We can hurt his ego. We are both below level ten while he is in the triple digits. How do you think he feels when one of us finally lands a punch?” Lance asked, knowing what buttons to push with Thomas.

Daniel relaxed his posture and let out an amused chuckle before he tried to pitch in. “Well, a sense of pri-”

“Yeah! He’d feel bad, possibly even shame. Daniel wouldn’t be able to bear it. What if his friends found out about it? It would be like losing a fight against toddlers, right?” Thomas interrupted Daniel, the redhead’s blue eyes suddenly sparkling with renewed energy.

Thomas’s tirade surprised Daniel. “I think you guys are missing the point of us sparring here,” Daniel said before Lance and Thomas suddenly rushed him from both sides. Despite being far weaker in terms of ability, the two friends had a solid teamwork.

Lance swept in on the legs while Thomas was going for Daniel’s right shoulder. Thomas was even using his personal skill to increase his strength temporarily, burning Stamina like crazy.

Daniel’s posture remained calm as a soft smile appeared on his face, displaying both mirth and pride. He then lifted his leg to dodge the sweep while ramming his shoulder into Thomas’s chest. A moment later, he kicked Lance backwards, sending the men down onto the training mat again.

-Bang!-

“That one hurt,” Thomas moaned as he gradually got up, sporting a slight bruise on his cheek from where his face had kissed the floor. No doubt in a few minutes it would swell up and change colour.

Daniel noticed the newly formed bruise and checked in with Thomas. “Thomas, you all right there?” He asked, genuinely concerned.

“Yeah, luckily my face cushioned the fall. So, nothing vital was hit,” Thomas explained as Lance was busy dry heaving on the mat. It had not been the first time he had done so, nor would it be the last. A soft jab from Daniel could knock the wind out of someone. A kick was even worse.

Thomas watched Lance for a few seconds before he spoke to Daniel. “You know you are a freak, right? Two on one and you look like you are as fatigued as if you had been doing a crossword puzzle.”

“Come on Thomas. It isn’t that bad. And this is good experience for the two of you. You need to understand your limits and know how to spot a trap or a dangerous situation,” Daniel said to the men as Lance slowly got up again, groaning as he did so.

‘A surprise might work,’ Lance thought, forcing himself to appear as calm as he could when he’d address Daniel.

“You are right, Daniel. We still have much to learn from you. Thanks for doing this for us,” Lance said as he walked towards Thomas, seeing the bruise the man was sporting, before he placed a hand on him. Lance then activated his skill.

‘Mend wounds.’

[You have used Mend wounds lvl 1 at the cost of 10 Magicka]

[Current Magicka 17/95]

A blueish light slowly flowed from lance’s fingertips into Thomas, covering his entire body in a soft blue glow, almost to the point of it blinding him, before it vanished. When the light faded from his body, his bruises had also lessened.

“Thanks,” Thomas said with a grin as he felt the soreness of his body leave while suddenly feeling renewed vigour.

Both Lance and Thomas had received a personal skill when they had reached level 1, with Lance’s skill being ‘Mend wounds’. Thomas, being more physically inclined, had got the personal skill ´Bull rush’ to increase his strength while burning stamina at an incredible rate.

It had ‘made sense’ according to Daniel, seeing as Lance had been a nurse before and the healing arts were a natural fit for Lance’s personality. The class of Healer or Cleric might be the class Lance would end up having. Your first personal skill was often a hint at the class you might get.

“No worries. I am glad that my skill is useful. Here, Daniel, this is the least I can do to thank you,” Lance said as he held out his hand and walked towards Daniel, placing his hand on the man’s chest in a nonthreatening way as he used his skill again.

‘Mend wounds.’

[You have used Mend wounds lvl 1 at the cost of 10 Magicka]

[Current Magicka 7/95]

Like with Thomas, a blue light spread over Daniel’s body, slowly healing minor injuries, or at least lessening the symptoms. Lance’s skill could only heal minor cuts and bruises, but it suppressed the effects of the lingering infection from Daniel’s right arm for a few minutes.

‘Now!’ Lance thought as he quickly reacted.

Daniel was about to thank Lance for the kindness when he sensed danger, his acute perception picking up on the sounds of Lance’s body moving suddenly. No doubt Daniel would have conflicting thoughts about what the cause was as he leaned backwards. A second later, the blue light vanished from his body, and it no longer blinded him. In the time that the healing effect had taken hold of Daniel’s body, Lance had used it to try a sneak attack. Lance was healing with his right and going for an uppercut with his left, counting on the blinding side-effect.

Daniel smiled menacingly, as if Lance impressed him as his student, but still needed to show him who was the boss. A moment later, Daniel activated his dash skill and disappeared from Lance’s sight, only to reappear suddenly at Lance’s side, connecting his left fist with Lance’s abdomen and punching Lance upwards with enough force to hit the ceiling before bouncing downwards again.

The last thing Lance heard was his own body making several funny noises as it hit the ceiling and floor, not to mention the shriek Thomas made.

“You killed him! You bloody killed him!”

* * * * *

“Here you go,” Daniel said, handing Lance another icepack to ease the throbbing abdomen while Thomas was nursing a black eye. Daniel then addressed the young Rifters. “The two of you are really shaping up.”

“Well, I feel somewhat bent out of shape,” Thomas retorted while Lance simply groaned in agreement, feeling the ice soothe his pain. Lance’s mind wandered towards what they had been doing.

‘Boxing, wrestling, judo, MMA, even some exotic variants. Daniel has been training us beyond just getting us ready for the next Rift,’ Lance thought, remembering all the push-ups, sit-ups and cardio Daniel had forced Lance to endure each time they had cleared another Rift and had some ‘free time’.

Daniel, noticing how quiet Lance was, verbally nudged him back in the present. “Should I contact your next of kin, or are you still with us, Lance?”

“Still here... in spirit… perhaps with a shattered ribcage,” Lance groaned, slowly crawling up to a seated position as he glanced at the blackeye Thomas was showing. Not sure why, but the sight slightly lifted Lance’s spirits.

Daniel had explained that Attributes amplified someone’s own body and mind. An already-fit or developed individual would get more out of a Strength or Agility improvement than a weak or fat individual. Daniel was training them hard because of this, to make their foundation as sturdy as possible.

“Lance, can you fix my eye?” Thomas asked, massaging his bruised face.

“Can’t, out of Magicka,” Lance said to Thomas, lying through his teeth. Already he could feel a bit of it replenish itself. Thomas would know from experience that by now Lance’s Magicka had partially recovered.

The higher your Strength and Endurance, the more health replenished each hour. The higher your Agility and Perception, the more Stamina replenished. A high Wisdom and Luck could only replenish Magicka.

Daniel handed Lance a bottle of water before he inquired further. “So, what are you lads planning next?”

“R.A.M. offered us another spot in the next clearing. The last Rift we did still hasn’t increased in level, so they wanted us to assist in another Rift,” Lance said, groaning at the end. Daniel simply nodded, weighing their choice.

“Ah, that sounds like a good way to earn some cash and to level up further. R.A.M. has been treating you lads decently. How about I treat the two of you to dinner when you finish the next Rift?” Daniel offered, pleased with the development of these young Rifters.

“Hell yes!” Thomas said, miraculously recovered at the prospect of eating free food. Sensing danger, Daniel quickly tried to limit the offer to just a few burgers. Lance knew that this was a fight that Daniel would not win. The only hope Daniel had was that Thomas would not bankrupt him at the end.

In the end, the true victor would be Thomas’s stomach.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author: Osirium

Copyright: 2021 OsiriumWrites

Released: 2021