Chapter 15

"Cross!" Sjorn yelled over to Alvar who answered by swinging his training sword down on the wooden dummy in a diagonal slash prompting a thumping sound to echo over to his totu-ahem, instructor in answer which was followed by further commands in rapid fashion.

While Alvar was raining down blow upon blow onto his wooden target with Sjorn yelling commands on what kinds of slashes or steps he should perfom Alvars mind switched to his modus operandi as he had come to call it while training under Sjorn meaning his mind went wandering to different things that occupied his mind from time to time.

Sure, he loved to swing his sword and feel the sweat run down his body while all his muscles seemingly burned themselves through his skin to the surface from exhaustion, and the results weren't something to cough at either, but even with all the motivation in the world some tasks just grow to become rather tenuous after some time. Thus Alvar had put his body on autopilot so to speak and let his mind either drift or become completely empty.

A coping mechanism if there ever was one but Alvar didn't mind as it was a pleasant feeling and his body still learned to move correctly, on reflex at that. Though sometimes Sjorn demanded him to switch from swinging his sword one second to recall all the names of the formations he had learned of in the last few days, which obviously was rather impossible if your mind was somewhere else or empty to boot. Thus Alvar earned himself repeatedly a smack to the head to wake him from his musings. Of course his uncle didn't let any chance go by to mock him into oblivion for when Alvar came home with a pulsing horn that reached into the stratosphere!

But no matter how tiresome or aggravating his time under Sjorn could sometimes be Alvar still loved every second of it. It felt as if he had found a purpose in which he completely bloomed like a flower stretching its head towards the sun.

Besides burrowing his head in his training Alvar tried to spend as much time as possible with his friends and family as well though the later was easier than the former. After all Veli and Gerdi had a training regime of their own, though it was made easier for the three that Gerdi and Veli had chosen the same profession. Alvar wondered if it would be possible for the three to meet up later today only to be ripped out of his thoughts by a sharp pain to the back of his head.

"Damn it, boy! Get your head out of the clouds, will you?" Sjorn grunted with a scrunched up face while Alvar couldn't help but grin in reply. After all he simply loved to rile up his teacher from time to time.

Judging by the sadistic grin that began to form on his teachers face right at this very moment though Alvar guessed that Sjorn had followed his train of thought somehow which brought a slight wince to Alvar in apprehension.

"You find this funny now, do you? Good, good…We'll see about getting you some more content for your amusement… Get running! I ain't hearing you singing!?" Sjorn yelled from the side lines while Alvar hightailed to run the track over the training ground all the while singing in a nearly yelling voice so that the devil would hear it.

"Ohhhhh, we march and we sing…..!" Alvar roared which caused a few birds to flee in fright. His instructor meanwhile had picked up a wooden bow and began pelting Alvar with arrows ordering him to dodge faster and sing louder all the while.

'Yikes! The old man really has one hell of a mean streak…' Alvar thought while another vicious arrow sailed right over his ducked head as he increased his tempo to get out of the path of another arrow that would have struck him straight into his groin!

"Damn it old man! Aim a little higher at least, will you?!" Alvar roared over to the still viciously grinning side line and the devil situated there.

"You think your enemies care if they get you into your balls or your head?! Now get your ass moving again you little shite!" Sjorn's answer thundered over the training ground followed by a new volley of arrows causing Alvar to sweat even more under his weights in exhaustion.

'He may have a point there but still, aren't we supposed to be of the same folk? How am I supposed to keep our people alive if he takes my balls off before I can even---Wahhh! Damn it old man!' Alvar thought to himself though another mean arrow interrupted his thought process and caused him to focus more intently on dodging those damn arrows.

After an eternity had passed by Alvar was finally relieved from dodging those accursed arrows and could rest a little before he was free to leave for his home, weights still on of course.

Thus after dipping his head under the ice cold water of the nearby lake Alvar marched back home, and who knows, he may even be able to meet up with his friends later on as well?