Divine Beast Ascension

Before Oli could make himself comfortable and begin cultivating his energy, someone began pounding on his bedroom door. It wasn’t unlike Pauller to get excited but the knocking was more forceful than would be expected of the young preteen. Oliver sighed and stood up from his meditation cushion but another round of knocks irritated him all the more.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Opening the door halfway, Oliver wore a smile that wasn’t a smile. “Yes?”

“Finally...” Johan sighed, annoyed to be kept waiting for so long. “Consider yourself lucky. My father has offered you a private lesson, something any adept would dream of receiving. Don’t keep him waiting too long, or you might regret it...”

Getting straight to the point, Johan then turned and left with a silent wave.

“Thanks...”

.....

Oliver blinked, unsure of how to take the invitation. Thinking for a moment, Oliver didn’t see any reason to reject the offer but he also wanted to know a bit more about what he was about to get into. With that in mind, Oliver stored his cushion and left to go find Pauller and Leon for a better explanation of the Practor family’s lessons and classes.

*****

Knock, knock...

“Come in, Leon.”

Sliding the door open and immediately closing it behind him, Leon entered the patriarch’s chamber with a humble, lowered gaze. “Patriarch Hurman, I have some news to share.”

“Very well, you may lift your head,” Hurman waved his hand upwards, motioning for his grandson to meet his gaze. “What’s this I’ve heard about Pauller carrying a longsword?”

“That... That was a gift from Oliver. After seeing Pauller entranced by Keldon’s sword training kit, Oliver bought Pauller a common longsword as thanks for letting him stay with us.”

“I see... Oliver is an interesting young man, indeed...” Taking a deep breath and shaking his head, Hurman commented, “I assume that wasn’t the matter you’ve come to talk about? What’s bothering you?”

“I... I’ve come to inform the patriarch of the Living Lily’s price change.”

“Oh? Has Keldon forgotten the help we’ve shown in the past, allowing him to gain a reputation from being our contracted distributor?”

“No...” Leon sighed, continuing, “Keldon stated that acquiring the ingredient has become more and more difficult for the distributors. He’s still offering the herb for one hundred and twenty coins but the price may raise without notice...”

“Hmm... I see...” Rubbing his brow, Hurman took a moment to ponder his options. “That’s still quite good compared to the next best offer...”

“But it’s outside the family budget,” added Leon, proving his diligence in caring for the family. “With such a high, fluctuating expense, there’s no telling how long we’d be able to afford it. Also, the only way for us to afford anything higher would be for us to either have more classes or to take out a loan. Then–”

“Calm down, Leon. We won’t be taking out another loan. There’s no need at the moment. As for classes, I refuse to let you and Johan take on any more classes. You need time for your own training, otherwise, you will never be able to grow properly,” reasoned Hurman.

“But Patriarch, we need–”

“I won’t allow it!”

Leon held his tongue, gradually closing his mouth in frustration. But Hurman eyed the young man caringly. “Don’t assume that I’m unable to solve this problem without you. Your help is invaluable, yes, but don’t think you’re the only person able to care for the family. I raised this family to new heights with my own two hands! Do you doubt the patriarch?!”

“No... I’m sorry...”

“You’re brashness is forgiven. It’s good to see that you’re passionate about aiding the family in a time of need. If anything, it’s wonderful to see you so willing to help. Give me some time and I may be able to find a way for you to help. For now, I’ll look into our options to find the best possible choice of action.”

“Patriarch... We’ll be able to save him, right?”

The soft smacking of Hurman’s lips and his opening mouth broke the silence but words didn’t immediately follow. Instead, Hurman covered his mouth with a fist to make a controlled cough before sipping his hot tea. Then, Hurman got up from his cushion, walking to his grandson. Placing both hands on Leon’s shoulders, Hurman smiled tenderly. “Leon... Your father, my son will be fine. I’m proud to call you my grandson and I’m just as anxious as you to let you handle more family affairs. However, you’re just not ready at the moment. In time you’ll be a renowned figure, maybe even surpassing your father, your uncle, or even me... But now is the time for you to be selfish and focus on your own training. Now is the time for you to grow, not for our worries and troubles to impede you. I’ll take care of this. Your father will be well again. Trust your grandpa.”

Swallowing saliva lodged in his throat and blinking away the water in his eyes, Leon nodded and looked away in an attempt to hide his emotions. “Thank you, Grandpa...”

The old man hugged Leon, making sure to act as if he hadn’t noticed the young man being on the verge of tears. After a couple of moments passed, Hurman pulled away from the hug and smiled. “Now go. I’m sure Pauller has been waiting for your instruction.”

“About that... Patriarch, how should I teach him? I know very little about longswords and we don’t have–”

“Then teach him the basics. I’ll see if I can scrounge up some new techniques to help Pauller and his earth affinity.”

“Thank you...” Leon bowed his head gratefully and left without another word.

Once he was back in the open area of the family property, Leon sped towards the training grounds. He made sure to watch where he was going and not impede any passing servants along the way. To his surprise, Pauller wasn’t alone at the training grounds. “Oliver? I thought you would be cultivating? Did Pauller–”

“Don’t worry, I came to find you and Pauller.”

“Yeah!” Pauller shouted but with a frown on his face. “Uncle is trying to steal Oliver!”

“What?” Confused, Leon glanced at his little brother and then looked to Oliver for further explanation.

“Johan came by and told me your uncle wants to offer me a private lesson. I don’t see why I should say no, at least to see what it would be like, but I thought I’d ask you and Pauller about it first.”

“Don’t do it! Uncle Jonon is mean and will beat you up! He’s too aggressive and–”

“I think you should go there right away!” Leon replied, startling Oliver and cutting off Pauller.

“But–”

“Pauller, don’t forget that Uncle Johan has been training alongside Father since birth. If there is anyone able to stand as Father’s rival, it’s Uncle Jonon. His way of teaching can be incredibly aggressive, especially in a one-on-one training session, but that’s because he developed the most aggressive fighting style of the family, based on Grandpa’s battle arts.

“Having a private lesson with him would be a great experience, even if it were a one-time thing,” recommended Leon. “Be prepared to work harder than ever before but it should be an eye-opening experience all the same.”

“Interesting... Now I’m a little excited,” chuckled Oliver.

“But does he have to be so mean? Like Johan?” Pauller grumbled, rolling his eyes at Leon.

“Pauller, Uncle Jonon is just like that. Has he ever beaten you without reason?”

“YES!”

“And when was that?”

“When I...”

“When you what, Pauller?”

“That time when he said I stole his dinner!” shouted the preteen.

“Well, didn’t you?”

“No! He forgot about it and the food was getting cold...”

“See! Now stop arguing and get back to training. Now you’re wasting my time and Oliver’s”

Sighing to contain his laughter, Oliver asked, “So, where should I go for this lesson?”

“Of course Johan didn’t explain that...” Leon shook his head and pointed to three buildings at the end of the training grounds. “Johan’s and my younger classes are taught in the two smaller buildings. The large one in the center is Uncle Jonon’s sword school. That’s probably where you’ll find him.”

“We should–”

“Get back to training!” Leon finished Pauller’s sentence. “You still need to practice the basics of working with a longsword. Then I’ll leave you to train alone while I do the same.”

“But Leon...”

“Pauller, be lucky you have such a great older brother,” Oliver commented as he began walking away. “If it were me, I may not be so patient.”

While Pauller agreed to Leon’s terms and took a weak battle stance for Leon to critique, Oliver crossed the long training grounds at least one hundred krin in width and length. He soon reached the large double doors of the centermost building.

Knock, knock... KNOCK, KNOCK...

When no one replied, Oliver was thinking of going to Leon for new directions. However, one of the sliding doors slid open slightly from Oliver’s loud knocking. Noting that there was an undone lock hanging from the inside of the door, Oliver assumed that it was open for his arrival.

He walked inside the room and slid the door shut. Oliver found himself in a large training room with wooden and metal shortswords lining the back wall. Across from his on the opposite end of the room, Oliver noticed another set of unlocked double doors. The last wall was mostly made up of a roof to floor mirror, likely to help students better recognize their form during training.

“Excuse me, but should I keep waiting or am I interrupting something?” Oliver asked with a chuckle.

“Wait a moment...” a voice replied but without any origin.

Sighing, Oliver sat down cross-legged. “Alright...”

Behind the one-way mirror, two figures stood in the dark and chatted a little while longer. They spoke quietly but passionately. One questioned, “Do you truly think this is wise? We barely know him.”

“Well, he’s proven capable in a fight and he just got back from the Taltin Mountains, so he should fit the prerequisites of the job. Since he’s gifted Pauller a sword and stopped the young men from fighting with ease, why not give him a shot?”

“I thought you wanted to hire him as a bodyguard?”

“Why not have him guard Johan while they retrieve some Living Lilies?”

Blinking, the older man replied, “You want Johan to accompany him? You think he’s ready for such a venture?”

“Johan is a handful but having Leon tag along should help balance that out.”

“You–” Riled up, the older man began to cough spastically and hurriedly reached for his tea.

“Come on, Pops, we can’t baby them forever.”

“Then how can we afford to pay him? Your pay cut won’t cover the cost of both an herbalist and Oliver’s services.”

“Well... Maybe he’ll accept private training as compensation?” The younger of the two men began to walk away, grabbing a sword from atop a desk. “One should be enough to test him.”

“You’re crazy...”

“I take after you...”

.....

Moments later, the second set of double slid open. Oliver opened his eyes and watched Jonon step forward with a blank expression.

“Oliver, I thank you on behalf of the Practor family for protecting Leon and Pauller in their time of need. As a show of my gratitude, let me give you some basic instruction about wielding a sword,” Jonon stated with a polite bow. Upon lifting his head, Jonon tossed the sword to Oliver. “Go ahead and use this, but only for the duration of the lesson.”

Catching the sword and getting to his feet, Oliver bowed in return. “Thank you. I’m grateful for the chance to learn from a swordmaster.”

“Oh, I’m no swordmaster,” joked Jonon. “I’m merely a swordsman seeking a challenge...”

“What...”

Just as Oliver noticed the shift in the tone of their conversation, a cerulean blue sword appeared in Jonon’s right hand. Within the next fraction of a second, Jonon threw himself at Oliver with his sword at the lead.

The broad young man put together a slap-dash defense, bracing his free arm behind the flat side of his sword. Oliver forcefully accepted Jonon’s leading strike with pure strength. This startled Jonon greatly as Oliver remained unmoved.

“Pretty good, but how is your form?” Jonon laughed slightly, sliding his shortsword off of Oliver’s blade and swinging it for a follow-up strike. When Oliver ungracefully parried the attack, Jonon clicked his tongue. “How atrocious... You’ve never wielded a sword in your life, have you?”