Chapter Three: The Tale of Alaric

"𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞. 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐈 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞,"- 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧

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Alaric POV: 

The day had quickly passed my meal of that day consisted of cooked meat, a single loaf of bread, and a drink of water after that I went to sleep in order to regain my energy. 

Now here I stood in an empty grassy field wielding a wooden training sword while Lancelot stood a few feet away from me "alright Alaric the first thing you need to learn about wielding a sword is to never lose it should you lose it well then you lose your life simple as that really," he lectured before getting into a loose sword stance. 

"Now then can you guess what our first lesson is my dear student?" Lancelot asked I was a bit hesitant reply "i-is it how to cleave someone apart with pure strength alone or how about learning a powerful sword style-" I was cut off when Lancelot dashed at me screaming "DODGE!!!" 

My instincts scream at me in that moment my body moved on its own rolling over to my left Lancelot gives me no time to recover. Relentlessly he swung his sword trying to land a cut and while I was getting the hang of dodging his strikes, I was still a bit clumsy to get some cuts on my arms. 

Lancelot swung his wooden sword downwards once more I rolled only this time, I struck back hitting the right side of his armor. 

He paused for a moment with a raised brow "you struck back?" he asked I did my best to copy his sword stance from earlier "if you think I am going to just let you hit me while I run then you better think twice teacher," I replied wrapping my leg muscles with my mana. 

With a burst of power, I propelled myself forward Lancelot gets a look of excitement "oh ho interesting show me more Alaric!" he shouted. 

Aiming for his chest I bring the wooden blade down for a horizontal slice Lancelot blocked it, but I lashed out slamming my foot into his unguarded abdomen. 

Lancelot flinches back a bit from the unexpected kick giving me the perfect opportunity to land a perfect cut on his left cheek. 

He slowly reached up to inspect the wound before glancing back at me "you cut my face...well I guess I don't need to go easy on you anymore now do I," he said in a very ominous tone that sent shivers down my spine. 

"I am sorry," I say quickly hoping for mercy Lancelot tilts his head "too late," he replied disappearing in a blur and then reappearing near the corner of my eye I barely managed to block it, but it wasn't enough. 

Lancelot began to land strike after strike each one harder than the next his strikes caused an intense amount of pain to roll down on my arms, but I was quite resistant to it after being mistreated my whole life. 

I inhaled taking a deep breath and began matching his own strikes and block them with intense invigoration. But much like a berserk animal Lancelot's strength kept increasing until finally my wooden blade began to start chipping away then it shattered sending splinters everywhere. 

Lancelot was about land another blow instinctively I gathered mana to both my hands manifesting small orbs to hold the attack off. When his wooden sword clashed against my open palmed hands the orbs released an intense beam of mana until the blade shattered while I was flung back. 

I groaned attempting to stand back up when an armored hand extended itself forward towards me warily, I look up to see Lancelot looking proud a bit warily I grasped his arm pulling myself up. 

"You did quite well Alaric I apologize about my rather rough treatment I wanted to push you more to see your limits in order to have a better understanding on how your training should be like and how your schedule will be," Lancelot said with an apologetic tone. 

I shook my head "n-no it's quite fine Sir Lancelot I understand," I replied Lancelot smiles patting my shoulder "come today was merely an evaluation I know of an excellent nearby inn where we can have some lunch my treat," 

The walk to the inn was silent with Lancelot taking some awkward glances at me when we finally made it to the inn Lancelot started our order to the bar keep while I picked a table for the two of us. 

Lancelot finally comes back from his talk with the bar keep "so..." he began I raise a brow "so what?" I question Lancelot coughs giving a rather sheepish expression "well you are my apprentice now I feel as though I should get to know you better, but I-I do not wish to be insensitive...considering how our King found you," he explained. 

I remain silent in contemplation "I suppose I can tell you the first thing you need to know is that I wasn't always a slave I used to be in an orphanage nearby a small village my time there wasn't always the best, but it was home," I slowly began to explain as the server arrived placing our plates and drinks down. 

My eyes began to narrow a look of darkness dawning over my golden slit eyes "one day the head matron had instructed to me to retrieve something from the village but when I arrived, I saw flames every where..it was like hell itself had invaded people were screaming blood laid splattered on the roads all the while I remained standing in fear at what I saw," I paused to catch my breath. 

"I remember running back after that to go check on the orphanage but what awaited me there wasn't the orphanage or rather, I should instead say that it was no longer standing. 

In its ashes stood a group of bandits taking the other children into cages w-while another group of bandits began to ha-have their way with the head matron," I continued with a stutter of rage tinting my voice. 

I reached out taking a long swig of water from my goblet while taking a few scoops of my stew "long story short after I made the mistake of stepping on a branch they heard it and captured me sold me along with the others to the highest bidder which as you know was my former and dead master Clind Williams," I summed up as the fingers on my right hand began tapping the table while I sipped more of my water. 

Lancelot swallows with a look of guilt "I -I see now I am sorry Alaric perhaps if I or the king had been aware then we could have prevented everything," he says. I gave a bittersweet smile in response "you don't need to blame or place any of the guilt on yourself Sir Lancelot," I replied to ease him down. 

"Now then why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" I ask this time while scooping up some more stew while Lancelot nodded "well my tale begins not in this realm but in a realm called the land of Fae...." and so Lancelot began to explain while I listened in with the utmost attention especially once he mentioned how he was raised by a Fae. 

-End of chapter three- 

Sorry it took so long to update I was having a bit of motivation problems and was constantly getting distracted by other things hehe.