They skipped all soppy goodbyes when they left Deon's village.
That had been two weeks ago.
Since their departure the trio; Kagon, Delia, and Kip, had ventured out of Lanthos and back into Pik, fighting off the beasts sent to terrorize villages as they traveled. It had been a harsh living for them all, but it had its rewards. Especially for Kip.
Kagon parries Kip's blow with his wooden practice blade and Kip immediately goes in for another strike with his own wooden blade.
Kagon smiles. The boy has made progress since I started teaching him. He's a quick learner with an aggressive and hostile style of fighting. It must be because of the experience he's had before. He's gone through much and I can tell by the way he fights now it must have been a fight for his life.
Kagon matches the boy blow for blow, taking it easy on him to allow him to adjust to being in a fight.
"Remember what I told you when you first picked up a sword, Kip." Kagon comments. "The sword isn't a bludgeon to just be wielded wildly in hopes of hitting your opponent. Your sword is an extension of your arm. Use it like it is part of you."
Kip nods, biting his lip as sweat drips from his brow.
Kagon swings his wooden sword in an arc, Kip smashes his own blade against Kagon's with all his force in a block.
Aggressive, very aggressive.
"If only you were a bit more built in the muscles and not so lanky." Kagon sighs. "Your fighting style is made for a beefy man three times your size."
Kip stabs with his sword in an upwards slice. If Kagon hadn't of blocked and if Kip's sword was real, the strike would have completely disemboweled him.
"I guess you make it work, though." Kagon says, dodging another forceful hit.
After awhile, Kagon stops being so easy on Kip. As the level of difficulty increases, Kip falters until at last Kagon points his blade to the boy's neck, victorious.
"Much better." The hero offers his protege a sparkling smile.
Kip nods. "Thank you."
Kagon chuckles and throws his arm around the lad's shoulder. "No need to be so serious. Maybe next time I'll even let you fight alongside me when we fight another beast!"
"I could fight too, you know." Delia says as she finishes heating bread with a spread of meat preservatives over the fire. An unappealing dinner, but still food that can fill their bellies just as efficiently as steak.
Kagon sighs. "I've told you many a time that you don't need to fight, lass. Not with me around."
"You weren't around in Lanthos when you were knocked out by the pygmies." Delia challenges. "You weren't around when I-I killed that Shadowlander, you weren't around when we were separated and I had to fend for myself. Oh, and you weren't around when the ice beast rendered me useless as an ice cube, either."
Kagon mouth becomes a hard angry line. "I failed those times, yes. But I always came out on top." Kagon looks at Kip. "Even Kip agrees."
Kip stays silent, staring at the grass.
"Kip is younger than me by nearly six months and you teach him to fight!"
"That's different. He's a boy and I'm here to make him a man. Now give me my food, this conversation is meaningless."
Delia's eyes spark with rage and she shoves Kagon's portion of the meal into his hands and gives Kip his food before storming off to eat her meal alone.
Kagon lets out a disbelieving chuckle. "Girls and their emotions, am I right?"
Kip only nibbles on his piece of bread, either not hearing or ignoring his mentor.
Kagon shrugs before shoving the whole slice of bread in his mouth.
〰〰〰
A young boy screams at the top of his lungs as a gigantic feline creature with porcupine quills lunges at him.
Kagon runs at the creature, golden sword raised and twinkling in the mid-afternoon light.
Delia sighs, watching as Kip protects his rear from the second porcupine-cat monster closing in on him.
What makes it worse is that Kip wields the same dagger she had thrown to Kagon when they first met.
I am no damsel, why should I always sit on the sidelines? It isn't even that I'm battle hungry, I just want to be able to protect myself if need be.
Simultaneously both creatures pause, sharp quills bristling. Delia's eyes widen, recognizing that movement. They're about to shoot some of their needles.
"Kagon, Kip! Hurry and dodge!"
Not waiting to see if they listen to her, Delia herself takes cover behind a sturdy oak.
Pthung! Pthung!
After the sound of firing stops, Delia dares to peak out from the oak. Quills six inches long had imbedded themselves into the trees and houses. Kagon and Kip are not in sight.
Leaving her as the two beast's last target.
Spotting her, the first cat creature lets out a loud hiss, attracting the attention of its comrade. Delia gulps and quickly tugs one of the six inch quills from the grass directly in front of her and holds it out protectively.
All of a sudden, Kagon and Kip spring out from their hiding place behind a house and launch themselves at the beasts, aiming for their feline faces.
Having been concentrating on Delia, the cats have no time to react, enabling the two to easily stab through their eyes and into their brains. Killing them once and for all.
Delia breaths in relief, shoulders slumping as the threat is eliminated before her eyes.
She sends Kip a smile. "Good job, you did great."
"What about me?" Kagon asks.
"You're cocky enough, you don't need any compliments from me to just add more air into your head." Delia replies briskly.
She's still angry at him for the day before. Not to mention it felt good to tell him off, especially since she saw that woman leave his room back in Deon's village.
Her words seem to go straight over the hero's head as he turns to his protege. "You did do a good job." Kagon agrees. "I prefer to fight alone, but having someone protect my back made a good reassurance for my ultimate victory."
Kip shrugs, handing the knife back to Kagon. Kagon takes the knife, but dons a wolffish smile as he does so. "Since you have slain your first beast with me, it is time for you to receive your first weapon. I bet the blacksmith of this town will be more than happy to give you a choice of his finest weapons."
Just as Kagon says this, the people from the village begin to filter out from their hiding places. When they see the two dead creatures, everyone lets out a hardy cheer and all gather around the hero and his apprentice. Leaving Delia to watch at the outskirts. Again.
When at last the crowd clears she can see Kagon dragging Kip towards the blacksmiths. An irritated noise escapes from her mouth as she hurries to catch up with them.
Kagon was right, the blacksmith is more than happy to allow Kip to choose between some of his best blades.
As Kagon discusses the importance of picking the correct weapon and blah blah blah... Delia is left to her own devices as she browses the selection of weapons with interest.
She picks up a leather sheath made to fit around someone's thigh. Some sort of weapon is held within. Carefully, she pulls out a curved dagger with a serrated blade the size of her forearm. She can clearly see her face reflecting in its clear surface. The hilt of the weapon is made from ivory and bejeweled with a single purple stone.
"I did not make that weapon." She jumps at the blacksmith's voice. "I traded it from some merchants who received the blade from Roaria."
Delia looks down at the deadly sharp blade. "Do you mean the land of the lion shapeshifters?" She asks in wonder.
The blacksmith nods. "Aye." He gingerly takes the dagger from her hands. "Do you see the serration of this blade? They make it that way to saw easier through their food. Not that they really need a blade with claws and fangs as sharp as theirs."
"Interesting." Delia says. "It's a beautiful weapon."
"That it is." The man agrees. "And dangerous too. I heard that they usually dip their blades in poison to quicken their kill's death. This one, however, is harmless. The merchants bought it before its maker could dip it." He says, noticing how Delia's eyes widen at the mention of poison.
"Blacksmith." Kagon calls, interrupting the two's conversation. "I believe we've found a proper weapon for the lad."
The blacksmith smiles and goes over to see. Delia trails after him, curious to see which of the weapons that Kip chose.
Kip holds a stocky looking short sword with a broad, flat blade shaped similar to a machete. The hilt is wooden and bound in black wire. Like the dagger Delia held earlier, the blade is also serrated but in a more choppy fashion.
"Good choice." The blacksmith smiles widely, showing his yellowed teeth. "I will give you this weapon for no fee since you saved our village from being destroyed. However, you must promise me that it will live the life of adventure it deserves."
Kip bobs his head. "I will."
The blacksmith then turns his gaze on to Delia. "Unlike some other lands, in Pik women are seen as needed to be protected and sheltered. However, when I saw how you looked at and appreciated the Roarian dagger, I saw a hero's spirit as strong as your two friends here. So, even though it is usually against my beliefs, I believe that the Roarian dagger should be entrusted to someone who truly can appreciate not only its functionality as a weapon, but its history as well. You may take the dagger as your own."
Delia's jaw drops in shock as does Kagon's, but then a great smile spreads across her features. She hasn't felt so happy in such a long time. Not since she left her good friends Maya and Iglasius back in the far reaches of Lanthos.
"Thank you so much, I don't have the words to express my gratitude." Delia says.
The blacksmith grins awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "No problem. I saw that you were in need of a weapon when the two monsters began to zero in on you. Just take your weapons, the both of you, before I regret giving you my most prized blades for free."
Delia swiftly takes the leather thigh sheath from the blacksmith and clips it on to her thigh.
That's when Kagon finally comes out of his shock. "Delia I-"
This time Delia is the one interrupting. "I am independent and can leave whenever I feel like." She threatens, though it is an empty threat. She can never think of leaving, but Kagon doesn't know that.
"You don't have to train me, I can't force you to. However, I still am keeping this dagger and if you try to object I'll walk myself back to the far reaches of Lanthos and help Iglesias hold back the Shadowlanders."
Delia's heart swells and she can't help but smile. It feels good to stand up for herself.
Kagon lets out an exasperated sigh. "Fine." Then he cracks a smile when he doesn't think she's watching. However, he quickly hides it. "Alright." He claps his hands noisily. "Let's set off for our next adventure. Come on now! For Fates sake, there are villages to save!"