The Rise of Imani Firyali *NOW OFFICIALLY PUBLISHED!!*

SEVEN

7.

exposed feeling.

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After Soren and I finished practicing with daggers, Soren considered me to be well enough experienced with them that I didn't need to spend much more time on them. Instead, we moved to swords, which I was nervous about. Trying to handle a sword with only one arm seemed tricky.

And it was. Soren found one that was the right weight for me to use, and he showed me the swinging motions of different strikes I could handle. My mentor made me go through the routine of the movements so much that my arm and back were aching when we finished. After that he showed me how to block strikes coming towards me in different ways. When he covered everything, we sparred a few times, though every time ended up with me defeated. We took a break from it, however, going back to daggers and him teaching me how to use it on someone else or simply to defend myself. I took to this much easier than the sword, and I found that my confidence and comfort resided with a shorter blade.

Soren excused himself from lunch, saying he had to speak with a fellow commander about upcoming events. So I went to the dining hall alone, hungry and worn out from the long morning we had spent outside, well into the time most trainees came out to practice as well.

"Hey Imani, mind if I sit with you?"

I looked up, seeing Wes standing there with a plate in his hands.

I shook my head. "I don't mind."

He took a seat across from me happily, digging in to his fish eagerly. "How has training been for you?"

"Good," I admitted, "though I haven't started with Vaben yet."

"That's normal," Wes commented, his voice slightly muffled by his food. "You'll jump right into it, though. Don't feel bad if you don't get it right away."

I'm not incredibly eager anyways. "Alright."

After a moment Wes spoke again. "Have you gone on your first run yet?"

"Yes, we run every day."

The Snow-Kissed male laughed, shaking his head. "No, Imani, I mean your first run outside the academy. You go on practice missions once each Rotation to get a realistic idea of what we'll be doing as soldiers."

I blinked, surprised. However, a flush spread up my neck in embarrassment as well. "I see. Where did you go your first time?"

"I went to a trading town at the bottom of Amia, one that ships to the Barren. Arthur and I were making a normal round check up on the trading there and had to shape up some of the people working within the town. It was really boring, to be honest."
I wondered what would make him excited. An ambush, perhaps?

Wes looked at me curiously. "How is Soren? I haven't seen him as much since before this Rotation. I'm too busy training and it seems you two are going through the same, though he told me you guys get up horribly early."

Amusement filled me. "Not a morning person?"

Wes made a face of mock disgust. "Not at all."

"Soren is...normal?" I tried, not knowing what to say. "I believe, though, that we have a different view of him."

Wes shrugged. "Only because I grew up with him. He's definitely changed since we were kids."

I couldn't help my curiosity. "How so?"