Krion pushed aside the covers that had ed around his body ht. As soon as they fell away, he felt the lightest touch of the brisk early m air. He shivered. The warmth of the covers was nice, and he almost sank bato them given how stiff his muscles were from the previous day, but the smell of cooking ba and eggs drifted in through the opening of the tent.
Getting up, he fixed his disheveled hair as best he could, thehe tent. The clearing was much the same as it had been st night. Safe, secure, and hemmed in by trees all around. Holy, he should have expected that. The impressio from Alesin and Rolfun was extreme petency, especially after both had saved his life yesterday. They wouldn’t have set up a campsite in a location that was at risk of being disturbed. Ahing he would possibly have to learn.
Krion still did not have a clear idea on what to expect regarding the Imperial Academy. He set aside those thoughts for now, as the smell of cooking breakfast was too much to ig the moment. Alesin was bent over the firepit, carefully flipping baext to at least a dozen eggs that were cooking in a rge pan. Standing behind her, big smile on his was, was Rolfun holding three ptes.
“Good m, Krion,” Rolfun said, though his eyes stayed fixed on the meat that his wife was flipping. “Got a treat for breakfast this m.”
Stepping over to the half-ogre, Krion took one of the ptes he was holding. He then gazed hungrily at the cooki as well. “I’m gd that ba is something that doesn’t o oh.”
“And I have perfected how to cook it, as well,”Alesin said, starting to lift the pieces off to divide betweees. The eggs followed right after that. “Not so long that its like eating hot jerky, but not so short that all you focus on is the hot fat you are chewy.”
Taking his first bite of ba, Krion could do nothing but wordlessly agree. She had done a great job with it. The en minutes were spent in rgely panionable silehe only sound being the chewing of their eating. Rolfun, little to Krion’s surprise, finished his food first.
“Before we tinue on our jouroday, we wao talk to you about an important topic.”
Rolfun tapped a small ring on his hand, and to Krion’s shock, pulled forth a long wooden table. Rolfun had a spatial ring. Before he said anything, Rolfun followed by pulling out what Krion was able to quickly identify as a warhammer, a war axe, a long sword, and finally a greatsword. The bes of pying rolepying games as long as he had.
“Based on how you moved your body yesterday while I was assessing you,” Rolfun tinued, pointing at each on in turn. “I think these are the best potential choices of a on for you to begin familiarizing yourself with.”
“And I o make a choiow?”
“Yes,” said Alesin as she set down her owy pte. “Krion, the Imperial Academy is as much a battlefield as it is a school. You’ll be surrounded by people with ambitions, some of whom will stop at nothing to advaheir own is and who have traiheir entire lives to be ready for the ce they might have to do so. You are already way behind the experiences and training of the other nobles who will be entering the Imperial Academy alongside you. The sooner you pick a on, the sooner we start instrug you in the basics of its use.”
“Alright, that makes sense,” Kriourned his attention back to Rolfun. “Before I make my choice, could you tell me why you picked these ons for me?”
“Of course,” Rolfun smiled, gd that Krion hadn’t simply picked ohout sideration. “Each of these ons demands different strengths, different teiques. That being said, I chose them because they fit what I see to be your build and potential. But what you select is ultimately down to you.”
Krion reached down and lifted the first on, the warhammer. It was on the heavier side, but not unfortable in his grip. He lightly swung it a few times.
“The warhammer is a brutal on. Its strikes crush bone and armor alike, but it is also slower, requiring more precision. Onaster it, the warhammer is perfect for overwhelming an enemy’s defense.”
He set the warhammer aside; it did not feel quite right to him. He moved to pick up the war axe . Almost before he had it in his hands, Krion already had the sehis would not be the on for him. Before Rolfun could expin the virtues of it, Krion was already shaking his head aing it back down. He looked to the swords.
“The longsword is all about bance. Wielded properly, it requires speed, precision, and strength. It is a good all-around on for someoarting to learn how to fight,” Rolfun said, pointing to the shorter of the two swords. The half-ogre theured at the st remaining on. “The greatsword is a beast of a on, all about read power. While it is a heavy on, and a bit slower thaernatives here, I prefer it for its ability to fight multiple e once.”
“So the greatsword is the on you use?”
“Yes!” Rolfun said with some excitement, then g Alesin as if asking permission. When she sighed and nodded, Rolfun eagerly reached into his spatial ring to pull out a massive greatsword, evehan the ohat he had pced for Krion to examine. A pommel in the shape of a fanged skull was revealed first as Rolfun showed it to Krion. The bde itself was nearly as long as Krion was tall, fed from a darkeeel with a slight bluish hue. Given the new world he was in, it might be a differeal or perhaps magic of some sort was involved. Actually, given the slightly glowing ruched along its length that he was just now making out, it was certainly ented. Rolfued the bde effortlessly in one hand, grin growing even wider at how enraptured Krion was with his pride and joy.
“I know you want to show him,” Alesin interjected from the side. “Go ahead. Just keep the damage to a minimum.”
Her husband nodded in thanks, pivoted and walked over to one of the trees ringing their campsite. “Watch this,” he called over his shoulder. Raising the greatsword, still one-handed, Rolfun swung it down at the side of the tree. The bde did not appear to slow at all as it emerged from the side, but Krion was not following Rolfun’s swing. His eyes were fixed on the ice that followed in the wake of the greatsword. It expanded for another moment along the part of the trunk that Rolfun had sshed, then gave way with a sound simir to shattering gss. Reag out, Rolfuly pushed the tree to fall bato the forest rather than into their campsite. It nded with an awfully loud crash.
“I said keep the damage to a minimum!” Alesin said, exacerbated.
“Sorry,” Rolfun said, scratg his head. “I think I was just a little too excited to show him.”
Krion walked over to ihe dowree while his escorts argued. The trunk looked like it had been sliced through by Rolfun’s sword at first, but the spread of the ice along the cut and the resulting sm against the ground had ripped jagged splinters out along the whole length of the blow. The damage was beyond impressive for such a light blow, and Krion was sure it was the least of what Rolfun was likely capable of.
Krion imagined what it would be like to wield such a dangerous on. The sheer power it would give him, and how intimidating it would be for any enemies. And there would likely be many of them, given how Alesin and Rolfun had been talking to him about what life would be like at the Imperial Academy, given the noble house he beloo. He also had to admit to himself that, in the rolepying games he had pyed with his friends, he had always ehe sessions where he had pyed a character who wielded a greatsword. Pg himself in the position of those characters, he could already imagine how satisfying the weight of the on would feel in his grip and how every swing would carve a path through those who sought to kill him.
“I think I have made my decision.” Krion stepped over and picked up the greatsword with a grunt. It was a bit heavier than he expected. Hopefully, he would get strong enough, quiough, that he wouldn’t be encumbered by it for long.
Rolfun and Alesin ceased arguing over the half-ogre’s o trol his strength as they heard Krion make his decision. Alesin rolled her eyes, si would not be the on she would have advised, but she had guessed it was going to be a fone clusion given the demonstration her husband had given. For Rolfun’s part, he looked excited that the young lord of House Bcksword had selected the on that he himself preferred and had spent so much time mastering.
“Excellent choice!” Rolfun reached into his spatial ring to pull out a simple leather harness. Gesturing Krion over, he showed him how to wear it, and then secured the greatsword to his back. It felt awkward at first like he was being pulled to his right, but Rolfun simply adjusted the straps a bit so that it sat more fortably. O was ihe half-ogre showed him a quick release irap so that he could pull the bde free quickly if needed. He practiced it a few times to get used to it.
“Today yoing to get used to carrying your neon around. Depending how fortable you move with it, we might start some simple lessons tonight.”
“So get used to it as quickly as I , since I don’t have a lot of time,” Krion responded.
“That you don’t,” Alesin nodded in agreement, moving to begin pag away everything in her own spatial ring. “We o get moving. Though there is some time yet, there is a hard deadlio get you to the Imperial Academy so you enroll for the current year. If we are te… well, we will make sure you aren’t te.”
“Do you need my help pag up?”
“No, we have it handled. Just make sure you’re ready to go in a few minutes.” Alesin put the rest of her cooking equipment away. While Rolfun moved to put the ons and table bato his ring, she made her way over to the tents, dug ihe one she had shared with her husband the night before.
“Hey, Rolfun,” Krion said, stepping over to the half-ogre. “I was going to ask earlier, but that is a spatial ring, right?”
“Yes, though it’s only a on, small ohe rger ones are too expensive for Alesin and I to be able to afford.” Rolfun finished putting the table bato his ring. “I’m surprised ynized what it is. Does your homeworld have these items as well?”
“No, or at least not that I have ever heard of. I actually reized it from simir items that were in some of the games that I pyed with my friends.”
“Ah, I see. Well, luckily for you, you will be able to afford one far better than mi some point. Probably during your time at the Imperial Academy too.”
“Everything is packed and it’s time to go. Same order as yesterday, with you in the middle of us,” Alesin said to Krion, having finished putting the tents away. She tossed Rolfun’s backpa and pulled on her own. She jumped a few times, then adjusted the straps to secure it better. Satisfied, she again focused on Krion. “Today’s going to be harder for you, Krion. I’m sure you are sore, but we o go a bit further today to get to the camping site. The whole way, we are going to take it in turns to begin teag you about everything you o know before you arrive at the Imperial Academy. Are you ready?”
“Yes. I will do my best to keep up and absorb everything you both teach me,” Krion said. “Don’t go easy on me. I want to be as ready as I be for the Imperial Academy.”
