For The Greater Good-World 1: A Corrupted Cove || World//Zero ||

11. A Cove of Claws

The growls, huffs, and whimpers of the boarwolves in the field were drowned out by the noise of clanking steel coming from a clearing. Shouts and exclaims came from the two boys as they dueled each other with their swords, the paladin putting his shield aside as he trained the swordmaster to the best of his ability. As he yelled orders to his apprentice, Alec dodged every strike of his opponent's sword while attempting to attack the older boy himself. Observing the duel was the Elementalist, sitting cross-legged a few feet away while looking over his scroll. He had still not left his friend's side since this morning, and needed to carry on with his list of quests like many of the others were today. However, he had other plans and didn't move from his spot as he watched Alec battle the paladin as best as he could. 

Lifting his head, Sean noticed something and cupped the sides of his mouth with his hand. "Use your skill, Alec!" he yelled over the noise. "That'll catch him off for sure!" 

Alec didn't listen, not that he could hear him anyway. He was too into the moment, gluing his eyes to his mentor's and his sword. Sean knitted his brows, noticing the boy's movements gradually slow down. Rolling his scroll, Sean stood up and shouted again. "Use your skill, Alec!" he said.

The swordmaster heard Sean that time and waited for the opportunity to do so. Once Alec barely dodged another attack from the paladin, he attempted to use a skill. Taking a step back, Alec charged toward Cal with his sword, but rather than doing what he intended, Cal stepped aside, causing Alec to pierce the sword into the ground. 

"So close!" his mentor exclaimed. 

It seemed like Alec's legs failed on him, as instead of pulling out the blade from the earth, he knelt on the grass, panting heavily. His face was flushed, and his dark bangs were matted with sweat. 

"Come on, Alec," he heard the paladin say over him. "Get up! You almost had it that time." 

Alec blinked hard, swallowed his dry throat, and looked up at his mentor. After spending some time slaying boarwolves in the field, furthermore completing his first quest on his list, Cal took Alec to part of the field where there were no boarwolves or other adventurers to disturb them during their training. While Alec wanted to get started on his next quest, which happened to be a dungeon, Cal decided against it and wanted to have Alec work on his form for a while before getting him started on his first dungeon. Alec didn't realize how exhausting it would be, or how strict Cal would be while training him. His sides hurt, and he felt like collapsing to the ground completely and falling asleep right then and there in the field. 

Cal was tired, too, but not enough. He lightly tapped against the boy with his foot. "Come on. Try again." 

"Let him rest," Sean said, walking towards the both of them. "He deserves it." 

Cal didn't eye the Elementalist. "Not until he beats me." 

"You two have been going at it for hours," Sean mentioned. "Give him a break."  

Cal narrowed his eyes and glared at Sean. He reluctantly sheathed his sword before shoving a finger in his face, catching the mage off guard. "If you didn't tell him to use his skill he wouldn't have collapsed."

"So it's my fault he's lying on the ground right now?" Sean questioned harshly. 

"Yes! He used up all of his energy using a skill!"

Sean frowned. "He had to! Think, Cal, you're way stronger than him! There's no way that he can defeat you in a duel! It's not fair!" 

"If he wants to get into a dungeon then he'll have to go through me first. You of all people should know that." 

Sean scoffed. "No way. At least have him slay some more boarwolves, or even duel against someone with his level of experience. You're going way too hard on him."