“I was not showing my breasts off to some halfer,” Kellia growls, easily keeping Luke underwater. “Also, I am in the advanced archery class and they are using composite bows. I’m just stronger than you give me credit for. You are such an arrogant, chauvinistic pervert, Luke Callindor. I hope I get a chance to destroy you before the semester is over.”
She smiles while Luke continues to struggle, his thrashing sending water everywhere. Kellia is about to let go and claim victory when he grabs her arm with both hands. Luke quickly sinks to the bottom of the basin, using his momentum to flip Kellia into water. She lands with a splash and Luke scrambles to the surface to take a deep breath. Kellia slowly rises out of the water looking angry, but she suddenly smiles.
“Nice move. I guess you’ll be going further in this academy than I thought,” Kellia compliments him. “What’s that on the left side of your chest?” She reaches toward an oddly shaped birthmark that resembles crossed swords.
Luke quickly catches her hand and tries to back away from her, but he hits the side of the basin. “It’s just a birthmark. All Callindors have one over their heart. Uh, you’re invading my personal space. Is this too close for comfort thing a new trend that people in this area are into? You’re the second person to get too touchy feely with me in the last day. Fourth if you count Nimby taking my dagger and Duggan punching me in the stomach. Can you please get back in your basin, Kellia?”
He feels her other hand graze his leg causing him to quickly flip out of the water. Kellia still has a hold of his wrist and yanks him back in. Her face shifts from a smile to a furious stare, making Luke tense up. The first thing that Luke feels is a surprisingly strong fist hit his stomach, sending all the air out of his lungs. The half-elf collapses to his knees in the basin, grabbing the rim to avoid falling underwater. The next thing he feels is a gentle kiss on his cheek from Kellia as she climbs out of the water.
“You are such an idiot, halfer,” she says with an amused sigh. “Men always think that a naked woman in their line of vision means they’re going to get lucky. We both know the rule that sex between students is not allowed. Breaking that rule can result in expulsion and I don’t feel like getting kicked out. Besides, my first lover is going to be a real warrior. Not some drooling jerk who thinks he is better than I am because he was born famous.” Kellia pauses and grins down at the half-elf. “I really hope that we’re in a physical class together because I want to see how tough you are, Luke Callindor. Though, I think you will find that there is a long line of people hoping to test themselves against you.”
Kellia dries off with one of the coarse towels as Luke gets his breath back and gets out of the water. He quickly pats himself dry and puts his pants on by the time Kellia starts gathering her scattered clothes. She is about to grab her shirt when Luke walks over to her. Her fist is clenched and ready to strike as he bends down to pick the piece of clothing up for her. Kellia smiles and moves to take it, but Luke swiftly yanks it out of her grasp. She is a few inches taller than he is, so he has to step closer to the door in order to get away out of her reach. Kellia carefully eyes the half-elf, waiting for a chance to pounce on him.
“The way this shirt smells, I think it needs to get aired out,” Luke says, balling up the sweaty shirt. Before Kellia can reach him, Luke tosses the shirt out the door. It lands a few yards away from a group of students who are practicing with quarterstaves. Kellia quickly throws on her pants and wraps a towel around her. She makes sure to spit at Luke as she runs out the door. Luke closes the door as he hears several of the male students whistle and shout at Kellia.
“I will beat you into dust for this, halfer!” she shrieks.
Luke is still laughing when a strong fist pounds on the bathhouse door. He slowly opens the door, allowing Thomas to burst in with an angry look on his face. He glares at Luke and the half-elf immediately stops laughing. The veins on the Elfstar leader’s neck are pulsing to the point where Luke worries that they are about to explode. Even scarier than the pulsing veins are the wooden practice weapons that the large man is carrying. Thomas has a very large practice mace strapped to his side and a quarterstaff in his hand.
“Just what the hell are you doing?” Thomas roars, towering above Luke. “I should take you into the courtyard right now and teach you a lesson for that stunt. Now tell me exactly what you two were up to in here, fresh meat!”
Luke stands his ground as he calmly explains, “Nothing happened. I was taking a bath, minding my own business, when she came in and started arguing with me. I tried to ignore her, but then she punched me. I wasn’t going to let her sucker punch me without getting back at her somehow. I figured embarrassing Kellia would be nicer than punching her in the face since, freakish strength aside, she is a woman and I have more experience in fighting than she does.” The large man lets a smile play across his face before he slaps Luke on the back. The force of the slap sends Luke toppling into the nearest basin.
“Don’t worry. I’m just messing with you,” Thomas cheerfully admits. “Many of the girls like to tease the fresh meat to see who can get them in trouble with Selenia. The girl who causes the target to earn the most detention days wins. They’ll stop in a few days, but you should be careful with Kellia. As you saw, she has the strength to back up a punch.” Thomas smiles and thoughtfully strokes his chin. “She’s not that bad to look at either, especially those blue eyes and her other . . . parts. Among the humans, elves, orc-kind, and half-elves, she’s one of the more desired girls in the academy. Dwarves consider her too masculine and the halflings are all terrified of her. I think you’re the only guy in this academy to see her naked and walk away without a broken limb. That's a nasty bruise on your stomach, but nothing is broken.”
Thomas continues to talk as he leans against the door. “So, exactly how does she look? Does she have any interesting birthmarks or something unsightly like a scar or a second bellybutton? She has to have something odd about her. With her strength, she can’t be a pure-blood human, so something on her body has to be strange. I’m betting she’s got some giant blood in her, which would explain her strength and endurance. She’d make a good wife for an adventurer or a warrior considering her natural talents.”
“Please stop,” Luke requests, finally turning to the sergeant instructor. “I have no interest in having relations with any violent, arrogant girl no matter how sexy she is or what her natural talents are. More importantly, I came here to train and I will not get kicked out because I get caught with a naked girl who has the personality of a rampaging dread boar. This conversation is over and I would love to never have another one like it. What is her problem anyway?”
“Nobody really knows,” Thomas answers with a shrug. He sees Luke wave his hand, wanting more of an explanation. “One minute she acts like a tough warrior and the next she acts like a bar wench. The girl takes a lot of enjoyment from confusing people, which is why she doesn’t have any real friends in this place. Just like you, she is here to train and will do anything to make sure that she makes it through the semester. There are some people who would love to get her kicked out because she challenges people between classes. During these challenges, she uses enough force to send her victims to the infirmary. She has no respect for the lower staff members like me and she loves to get other people in trouble.”
“Why does Selenia keep her in the academy?” Luke asks in bewilderment.
“Selenia keeps her in the academy because the girl has a lot of potential,” Thomas explains, slowly spinning his quarterstaff. “We don’t want to find out what would happen if Kellia is turned away from the only place that she wants to be. She could go down a dark path if left to her own devices. It’s best to stay away from Kellia so she won’t bring you down.”
“Thanks,” Luke says, finishing getting dressed. “Are you really interested in her? I thought that someone like you would have better taste than that.”
Thomas bellows in laughter as he steps toward Luke, wrapping a single, meaty arm around th
e half-elf’s shoulders. He practically carries Luke out the door and brings the nervous warrior to his quarterstaff class. The twenty students stop practicing positions and watch as Thomas hands two short practice staves to Luke.
“This is a forest tracker,” Thomas announces in a serious and stern voice. “Contrary to popular belief, they are not restricted to forests, but can be found everywhere. They get their name because they originated as a stealth force used by armies to set traps, scout, and spy on enemy forces during forest combat. They have since evolved tactics for all terrains and become solitary wanderers. Forest trackers are proficient in double weapons and they are some of the fastest warriors that you will ever meet. The reason for training for speed is that they need to be able to cause damage at a faster rate than a group of strength-based warriors. Off-hand weapons can be used in both offensive and defensive capacities, but the more experienced trackers have adapted moves that turn defensive maneuvers into attacks. So, if you ever antagonize a forest tracker then you could easily find yourself on the wrong side of a severe, possibly lethal, beating. Forest trackers have a pledge to not take a life without just cause, but that can be a broad definition.”
Thomas turns to Luke before continuing, “Now, I feel that you should be prepared for anything, including uncommon enemies. This young forest tracker has volunteered to help you learn how to fight one of his kind. We will begin with one-on-one matches before moving into practicing our group tactics. I will begin this exercise to show the flaws in the two-weapon style, which can be exploited by a staff fighter. I recommend that everyone pay close attention to what I am about to do, but I will repeat my demonstration if necessary. Again, I thank you for volunteering, Luke.”
“This is not my day,” Luke mutters as the large man comes at him with the quarterstaff.
*****
Luke slumps against the inside of the academy wall causing Nimby to exclaim, “Geez! It looks like the quarterstaff class used you as a practice dummy. Your arms are so black and blue they make me hurt. Guess this explains why you weren’t at lunch or dinner today.”
There are bruises all over Luke’s arms and his chest aches due to the quarterstaff students’ crazy obsession with hitting him in the ribs. It had only been within the hour that he could breathe without feeling a numbing pain along his sides. Thankfully, nothing was broken, but he had a feeling that such an injury would not get him out of his first day of classes. Nimby hands Luke an apple, which the warrior silently takes and devours with large bites. The halfling sits on the grass next to Luke and begins tossing pebbles at the leaves of a nearby blackberry bush.
After a few minutes of silence, Luke decides to release his brewing frustration. “I can’t believe how many times I got hit in the ribs by those kids. If I had real weapons and wasn’t holding back, I could have beaten all of them. A staff is nothing more than an expensive stick, which can never stand up to tempered metal. Though, Thomas would have posed a problem.”
Nimby looks at him blankly before laughing hard enough to fall backwards. “Thomas was telling everyone at lunch how his class took the new kid to the beating room. Funniest part is that he said this while sporting one black eye, a limp, and a massive bump in the center of his forehead. If that was you holding back then you must be better than good. So, what caused him to fight you anyway? Don’t tell me you broke one of the rules again and Thomas caught you.”
“Don’t you have detention duty?” Luke irritably snaps.
“I’m helping Kevin with the filing for the week instead,” Nimby says with a casual shrug. “I get more sleep and he usually has a stash of candy hidden in his desk that I sneak pieces from.”
“First of all, you broke that first rule and got me in trouble. Selenia was angry with both of us for that one,” Luke points out, getting to his feet and stretching with a few winces. “As for Thomas, he over-reacted because I embarrassed another student. She deserved it though after hitting me and harassing me in the bathhouse. That girl is an arrogant witch and I simply brought her down a few notches.”
Nimby eyes Luke suspiciously until he admits, “Okay . . . I tried to bring her down a few notches. Still, what I did was no reason for an entire class to fight me. I couldn’t even fight back or I would have injured a bunch of them.”
“I can tell that you’re good, but you can’t be that good. You’re only a student like the rest of them,” Nimby states, getting more and more excited as he talks. “Even if you won a tournament, only a seasoned pro would have the experience and skill to defeat a group without real weapons. I mean, just being a Callindor doesn’t make you invincible.” Nimby pulls out another apple and tosses it to Luke who catches it without looking.
Luke silently eats the apple while watching Nimby continue throwing pebbles at the leaves. It takes some time for Luke to realize that Nimby is more skilled than he lets on. The halfling barely concentrates on his throws, but Luke follows his quick glance at the leaf he wants to hit. Nimby has yet to miss a leaf even when he changes from throwing to flicking the pebbles off the palm of his hand. The halfling’s subtle aim and precision is on par with what Luke would expect from a professional guild thief. Thinking about his past encounter with Nimby, he is positive that only a trained thief could steal his stiletto without him feeling it. Luke grins at the realization that he isn’t the only one at the academy who is undercover and forced to hide his skills. With a final bite, he finishes the apple and throws the core over the wall for wild animals to find. It was time to see if Nimby was as much a chatterbox as he seemed and if at least one thing could go right before Luke’s day is done.
“You sound like you’ve traveled a bit, Nimby,” Luke casually says. “Have you ever been to Rodillen? I hear it’s a very peaceful place with great stores and restaurants. I hope to go there some day and see how amazing that place is. Some people I’ve met say it’s more beautiful than Gaia.”
Nimby abruptly looks up at Luke in a mixture of shock and disgust. He beckons for Luke to lean down so he can whisper directly into the half-elf’s ear. “You heard wrong. That place is a putrid demon hole. There is too much political corruption and the thieves’ guild runs everything except for a single inn. Those jerks never share the wealth with anyone and let people live with just enough to make Rodillen resemble a thriving town. There are so many guild thieves in Rodillen that an independent thief can’t find any decent marks without incurring a guild fine. I’d like to know who told you that junk, so I can educate them.”
“Nobody told me,” Luke admits with a cunning grin. “I just wanted to see your reaction. Only an experienced thief would have the guts to go non-guild in Rodillen. Of course, only a halfling would do a rant without thinking of the consequences. I know enough about halflings to know that, when excited, many of your people tend to talk before they think. No offense. Does Selenia know about your realm of expertise?”
“Your trick was terrible. I wouldn’t even call it a trick. Once you mentioned Rodillen, I knew you had me. I figured it was best to give you what you wanted before you tried other ways of investigating me,” Nimby declares with a wider grin than the one fading from Luke’s face. “Selenia believes that I am the black sheep in a family of thieves. That allows me to get away with a few things that I call habits. She would be very angry if she found out that I was the best thief in my family. I helped her improve the academy defenses two years ago and she would know that a thief like me would put in some secrets for myself. Maybe I can share some of the secret doors with you if you prove that you can be trusted. You aren’t going to tell her about this are you?”
Nimby looks up at Luke with a quivering lip and tears forming in his brown eyes. Luke tries to look away from the pitiful sight, but Nimby starts whimpering. Luke is still able to ignore the display until the halfling opens his mouth to scream. The young warrior quickly covers his new friend’s mouth, feeling a sudden rush of hot air. He can clearly hear a muffled scream coming from the halfling.
“Would you please stop? I
f I’m going to talk with you then I can’t have an audience,” Luke whispers, gently removing his hand and carefully looking around the area. “I won’t tell anybody about your secret, Nimby. You already knew that or you wouldn’t have told me. To be fair, I need you to keep a secret of mine. This is a much bigger secret than the one that I’m keeping for you. Do you understand?”
“I knew there was something strange about a Callindor coming here,” Nimby claims, his eyes lighting up with a fire of curiosity. “There is a fun story going on this semester and I plan on being a part of it.”
“You have no idea. I am here because I received a mission from Duke Solomon to protect his heir. As you can guess, this person is a very big temptation to any of the Duke’s enemies and professional kidnappers,” Luke carefully explains, his hand ready to cover Nimby’s mouth if need be. “Well, this person is a first year student at the academy and there are some dangerous creatures out to kill him . . . or her. I fought some zombies before I came here and they were stronger than your average zombies.” Luke pauses to lean in closer to Nimby’s ear. “A Lich is involved in this, but monsters like that usually send others to do their dirty work. Anyway, the messenger that I ran into had lost all of the information about the mission and I don’t know anything specific about the heir. I know some stuff about Duke Solomon, but nothing about his immediate family. This is why I can’t do this mission on my own. If I screw up then I will be in a lot more trouble than if I broke a few academy rules. Although, I’m not sure if it would be less painful to cross Selenia or fail Duke Solomon. Can you help me, Nimby?”
Nimby stares at the half-elf for a minute before a smirk crosses his face. “Why didn’t you tell me about this in the first place? This mission sounds like it will be a great adventure. I always wanted to have an adventure like this. The danger and excitement would make a great story to tell other halflings. I could become a great storyteller among my people if this is as big an adventure as it sounds. There has to be some kind of reward involved too. I’m glad I made a trade of secrets with you. What do you need me to do, Luke?”
Beginning of a Hero (Legends of Windemere) Page 7