Wizardly

Chapter Twenty-One: Max

In the morning Max woke me up and we headed down for breakfast. I admit I was a bit nervous about what Captain had planned for my training later. That got my mind off my conversation with Master last night. My friends decided they'd come to watch and promised to step in if they thought it was getting too rough, which helped a little.

Captain came to get me after breakfast was over and he led us to a different training area. I hadn't even been down into the basement this far before. Nor had I even known about this part of the building.

"Your instincts to dodge and avoid attacks are pretty impressive, but still need work. So before I can start your real training you will have to hone your skills more. This room is set up with many traps and triggers. It was designed for this very training. So..." He said and without warning he pushed me into the room. Which caused me to set off one of the traps he mentioned.

As arrows came at me from the walls I managed to roll out of the way, only to set off another one. Well crap, this is harsh. I tried carefully moving so as not to set off any traps and managed to avoid a few. Still there didn't seem to be a safe place in the entire room.

"The object isn't to avoid the traps. The object is to dodge them. This might seem harsh but in a battle you won't always be facing just one person. You have to learn to dodge attacks from anywhere. Especially if those attacks are magical," he said as he and the other's watched from outside the room.

"Of course you could always give up and not fight at all. I'm sure you could be a scholar instead," Master Faraday said. That bastard really knows how to push my buttons. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and closed my eyes to steady myself. I have to calm myself down and focus on my surroundings.

"Of course this training wouldn't be as effective if you know you set off a trap so there are traps that are set on timers and ones that will fo off if certain conditions are met, such as standing still for more than a minute," Captain said, just in time for me to narrowly dodge a bunch of lasers. Well crap.

Meanwhile (Max)

As we watched from the doorway I couldn't help but ask their Guild Leader, "Sir, is this really necessary. Isn't this a bit harsh? I mean I doubt I could even handle this for long."

"If you get distracted or get caught off guard you can use your powers to get you out of a pinch, however he doesn't have that luxury. On top of that we don't know when the enemy will attack, it could be tomorrow or the next day or so on. I don't have time to go easy on him or teach him the right way. So yes if he wants to learn in time then this is necessary, Max," he said. I guess that made sense but still, it's hard watching my friend go through this while I could only sit back and watch.

After about twenty or so minutes the Guild Master told him to go ahead and come out for a break. He of course had to dodge more traps as he made his way to the doorway. Once safely outside he sighed heavily and dropped to the floor panting. I don't blame him he's been dodging constantly for a while. All that moving around would tire anyone out. Still it surprised me to only see a few scratches on him. Lilliana handed Tyrian some water and a sandwich to help him build his energy back up a little.

After about ten minutes Tyrian stood, stretched, and went right back into the room to train. The Guild Master didn't even tell or force him to go. That showed me exactly how serious he was about this. I nodded firmly and turned to leave.

"Where are you going? We promised him we'd stay here in case something happened," Theo said.

"He's training his hardest for the fight ahead so I will do the same, I'm going to go train as well. He doesn't seem like he needs me here right now anyway," I said and started walking back down the hall. I can't fall behind, I will train just as hard as Tyrian is.

I never thought he'd come this far in just a couple of years and honestly it surprised me. However, it also didn't surprise me at the same time. After Shay died and we found him like that it was hard on both of us, but Tyrian had said these words that day and I'll never forget it, "I - I never want to see another person close to me die like that again. I will become stronger for my friends sake. Even if I don't have powers I will get stronger and I will protect as much as I can. We can't help anyone as we are now. That's why - That's why I have to remember everything that he taught me and train even harder from now on."

Honestly I didn't think he was all that serious back then and I did train more after that. I had never actually seen Tyrian fight or even train so I didn't know he became this strong. Though it is clear to me now he had meant every word he spoke that day. I'm his friend and I didn't even notice how much he was training or how much of a burden he was carrying.

Tyrian must have blamed himself for not being there or being strong enough to save Shay and he hasn't changed. I'm sure he feels the same about his other friends in that train accident. Was it right for his parents to throw him into this world of magic? I know it's been torture for him all these years feeling like an outcast and feeling inferior or not strong enough. Losing friends to this world and not being able to do anything about it must have hit him harder than any of us.

He's mentioned leaving many times in the years I've known him and yet he still has a foot firmly planted in this world of ours. He still wishes to protect those he cares for. For a normal human he sure has the heart of a Wizard and maybe that's why we all chose to be his friend.

If this is something he absolutely wants to do, who am I to stop him? I'll just have to watch his back to the best of my ability.

Once at the training field I called Nala over with a whistle and decided to start with some magical training. I can communicate with animals, but I can also merge my mind with theirs so I can see what they are doing as well as give them guidance in a fight. My only problem is that it leaves my body open for attack. If I can somehow get to the point where I can both see through their eyes as well as my own then I can protect both myself and my animals as well.