Adventures beyond the void

Chapter 30: An Unofficially Official Mission

3RD POV

      Selin: - That's enough for today.

Selin calmly said, wiping away the dust from her shirt, completely unbothered with the sight of Hunter half-buried in the dirt. His legs were violently kicking around, muffled groans and curses were heard as his upper body and head were under the forest soil. How exactly did it come to this? Well, simple. Selin's hellish training. Three words universally understood. Cruel and merciless, but also effective and efficient. Every passing day, the tasks and expectations would increase, with the sole purpose of honing their skills. Selin never wasted time or went easy on the two humans, continuing with the daily routine of waking them up before dawn and making them run marathons while also throwing things at them. Mostly dark slashes and boulders. And occasionally one or two trees.

After that, she'd train them separately, with Hunter learning to use his magic and with Nicholas learning how to wield weapons. Despite the difficulty of performing these everyday activities, the humans still kept going. Selin also wanted to asked Kenju to assist Nicholas with his training, but the moment the boy's name left her mouth, Kenju had already agreed without even hearing the question. Oh well. Him, Zana and Severed were helping Nicholas improve, while Lyra, Ronan and Airos were assisting Hunter. It's been a week since the battle between the tree-troopers and the bandits. Their injuries had long since vanished. But no worries, they were immediately replaced with new ones from the training. Hunter finally managed to pull himself out of the dirt with a loud grunt, coughing and shaking off leaves and mud from his hair.

  Hunter: - I'm starting to think you're trying to kill me!

He exclaimed, glaring up at Selin, who merely raised an eyebrow in response.

  Selin: - If I were trying, you wouldn't be able to complain about it.

  Hunter: - .... crazy bitch.

From the nearby slope, Lyra was sitting cross-legged on a fallen log, watching the exchange with a bright smile on her face.

  Lyra: - That's the spirit, Hunter! Just think of it as....uhhh....educational suffering. Builds character!

Ronan, lying on the grass with his arms behind his head, chuckled lazily.

  Ronan: - And muscles. Lots and lots of sore muscles.

  Airos: - And bruises.

  Hunter: - I'm covered in both!

He groaned, flopping on his back dramatically.

  Hunter: - Can someone call the king and report a crime? This is abuse.

Selin walked past him, stepping on his shoulder deliberately, but not hard enough to hurt.

  Selin: - Get up. You're not done until you can perform your first actual lightning strike without frying your own hair.

        Hunter: - HUH?! DIDN'T YOU SAY I TRAINED ENOUGH FOR TODAY?!

        Selin: - Yes, but I changed my mind. You can still shout and scream, therefore you still have energy to spend.

         Hunter: - WHAT KIND OF SHITTY LOGIC IS THAT?!

         Selin: - The kind that gets the job done. Now get up.

Hunter let out a long, suffering groan.

Meanwhile....

Outside the moth estate, deeper in the clearing, Nicholas was engaged in a sparring match with Kenju. Wooden swords clashed with quick, sharp cracks as Nicholas darted back, trying to predict Kenju's next move. Zana sat nearby, tossing apples into the air and slicing them mid-air with effortless flicks of her crystal knives, while Severed lounged on a nearby rock, quietly observing the sparring match. Nicholas swung wide, but Kenju parried with ease and tapped him on the forehead with the hilt of his sword.