As the night sky retreated at the sign of a new day’s light, but before the sun appeared above the horizon, Kane Driscol was awake and preparing for a morning training session with his Tyros, Veron and Evanlyn.
In a small pot he poured and mixed a variety of liquids from small bottles on his shelf. He added a bit of Cinder Sorrel, some Cave Blossoms, and a good splash of Lemon juice. The recipe didn’t need to be exact, or at least that’s what Damian told him when he showed him how to make this special brew. He couldn’t help but add a few drops of mint essence he’d extracted as well. Just for flavor.
After a few moments, the potion’s color settled on a pale murky yellow which signaled that it was ready. Pouring the contents into a small ceramic jug, Kane corked the potion and stowed it away gently into his satchel. Looking out the window, he realized he didn’t have much time and rushed out the door with his gear.
Ducking and weaving, Kane dove deeper into the forest. He was racing the sun, who was a merciless opponent, but if he wanted to make use of his morning efforts he’d have to win.
It wasn’t far to his destination: a large old oak tree towering above the others. Without hesitation, he dropped his gear and jumped up to the lowest branch and began to climb. In Kane’s opinion, this was one of the best climbing trees he’d ever found and he had become familiar with the best path upwards.
Kane pulled, shuffled, swung, and climbed higher and higher. The leaves getting thicker and the branches getting smaller the farther he went. Thanks to his weekly practice, he made it to the top and broke through the upper foliage without incident just as the sun began to break across the horizon. He reached into his satchel to retrieve the ceramic jug, uncorked the bottle, and chugged the bitter-sweet concoction in three gulps before storing it away.
Shivers raced down his spine and his hair tingled at the taste. Stretching out his arms with his hands open, Kane watched the sunrise and the sea of green swaying in the breeze. As the sun greeted him with its light, Kane greeted it in return, soaking in the warmth and lighting a fire in his belly that gave him a surge of energy.
Silently, Kane stood among the treetops until the sun had completely broken free of the horizon. Giving a friendly salute to the sun, Kane dropped quickly through the tree and swung down next to his gear. Feeling energized and refreshed, Kane headed for the village while whistling a mindless tune.
Waiting outside the Order Garrison, Kane hadn’t made it through half his loaf of bread before Veron and Evanlyn arrived. Each brought with them their own gear and were ready to begin their training session.
“Glad you both could make it this morning.” Kane said, finishing his large bite of bread. “Are you ready for some fun today?”
“Of course!” Veron replied, enthusiastically.
“Oh yeah.” Evanlyn said afterwards, her tone serious but excited.
After a few additional pleasantries, Kane explained “Today we’re not going to be practicing in the garrison. Today we’re going to be practicing around the village. Hopefully we won’t get into too much trouble, but you never know.” His shoulders shrugged with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.
With an eyebrow raised, Evanlyn considered the task ahead of her while Veron let out a single laugh at the prospect, “So we’re just going to be fighting in the streets?”
“Probably, but we’ll find out as we go along.” Kane replied, drawing his rapier and running down the narrow village street. “Just try to keep up!”
The trio raced and fought against one another through the village streets, while Kane yelled simple commands and situational directions that changed the rules of the impromptu battle on the fly.
They fought out in the open of the streets, using carts and trees as shields and barriers.
“Don’t let yourself get surrounded or cornered!” Kane shouted as he and Evanlyn flanked Veron. “Use your surroundings to isolate your opponents!”
Taking just a moment to look around, Veron immediately dove and rolled behind a cart full of sleeping chickens in reed cages. Rushing around both sides, Kane and Evanlyn looked with surprise to see that Veron had disappeared. From the other side of the cart, a demonic cackle could be heard as Veron slid out from under the cart and rose to see his opponents on the other side. Without hesitation he pushed the sleeping chickens in their cages into them before running off, cackling loudly.
They fought in the alleys, where space was limited. Veron and Evanlyn trapping their master between them, as they slowly approached.
“In tight spaces, your best option is always to leave.” Kane advised, before knocking a crate against Veron. “That’s for the chickens!”
He then used the remaining crates as steps to the second story window. Turning on the window sill, he leapt and caught the edge of the opposite building and scrambled onto the roof. Veron and Evanlyn close behind.
They fought on the roofs with proper footing in short supply. Standing on the center cross beam, the trio faced each other with Kane on one end and the two tyros at the other. Evanlyn lead the way, stepping carefully.
“In precarious places, all you have to do to win is make them lose their footing.” Kane explained, catching his breath before charging towards Evanlyn. Standing firm, Evanlyn rebuffed Kane’s charge with a flurry of blocks. In a moment of opportunity, as Kane tried to keep his balance, Evanlyn moved forward with her own press.
Already off balance, Evanlyn quickly ensured that Kane’s balance was truly lost and sent him sliding down the roof and off the edge. With a crash, Kane found himself in the back of a hay cart, clearly dazed. Veron and Evanlyn looked down with concern.
“You mean like that?” Evanlyn called down.
Shaking his head to clear his vision, Kane spat out a few stalks of hay before resting his head in the soft hay and calling back, out of breath. “Yes… just like that.”
