Dypes The Soul Keeper. (2)

Chapter 5: Training.

Walking in the snow the air was thick with chill and the sky dark with clouds. Each step away from the village was a little piece of relief for Samth. Both Dypes and her had been walking for two days straight now. Neither spoke to the other. Samth still bitter at Dypes for his insane ideas on Espex and Dypes uninterested by Samth’s feelings towards him. Samth missed Grix the way he would sit on her shoulder and bark songs to her to pass time. Gone now he was in a better place or so she believed.

“Samth listen to me.” Dypes said as he continued walking in the snow. “Things are going to be different from when you travelled with my little brother. I will be teaching you hand to hand combat, I will teach you magic and I will give you knowledge. All these things you will need to survive with me.” Samth just walked with him not replying. “Yes you are indeed talented with magic but you stumble about with it, the only reason you killed Espex was one he was tired, two insane and finally three completely in front of you. Not all your opponents will be like this.” Dypes looked at Samth as they walked she had a little bit of pain in her face for the words he spoke but she needed to hear them. “If Espex had been sane when you fought him it would be you dead not him. The knights that hunt us will be agile and combat veterans.  You have been protected from real battle all your travel well no more. With me you will need to fight to survive as I am not Espex. I do not love you and I will not protect you. My mission is to fulfil my brothers dream you are not part of that. You are his dead dream a world of you and him cannot be anymore.” Samth just swallowed his true hard words. “Starting tonight I will teach you combat,” His eyes shown bright as he spoke. “I will not be holding back, you get injured in the training and fall behind I leave you.”

“I understand” Said Samth with grit.

“Do you? Because like I said I will leave you to die. I am not Espex.”

More hate for Dypes build up inside the small frame of Samth. If she could she would punch him but she knew the current her was of no match to him. They continued to walk in more silence after the small chat until night fell. Dypes made a small fire and they caught some rabbits to eat. After the meal Dypes began teaching Samth about the history of magic, the basics of manipulation and the best combinations. After this they would to practical magic skills. Dypes taught her how to harness the power of earth and make it bent and create weapons. Lastly it was the hand to hand this Samth was no good at. She took a beating for an hour, her small body bruised and sore from Dypes as she smashed his knees, fists and feet into her.

“Hate me desire to kill me Samth, anything to make you stronger make it so. I don’t need a weakling around. Either decide to kill me or don’t come along.”

Dypes spoke these words as he smashed his fist into Samth’s nose.

This brutal routine continued for two weeks. Samth was broken and bruised. Each step she took was agony yet she pushed on. No longer in the snow thick north. The weather was mild but still chilly at night. Samth encountered a bear in the two weeks and Dypes forced her to kill it with earth sword magic and her own strength as a test. She managed to pass but at a cost. Samth now bore the scars of bear claws down her small back.

“Think of them as experience and a reminder. You are weak if a bear is too much how will a knight be?”

Dypes words were never there to inspire Samth but to eat at her and bring her down.

“I have no time for the weak. Your physical progress is far too slow women either step up or get lost.”

Each day he would shoot these insults at her and each day she would soak them up and push on. She walked at this point with a broken nose. Three broken rips a cracked leg and a fractured wrist. It was amazing she was walking never mind doing her practice every night.

Dypes would also open up each night with the same sentence.

“I am stepping up our training tonight be prepared to die.”

Samth didn’t know how but each night she survived and each night she knew Dypes was trying to kill her.

Lying back on the mild grass Samth looked up in pain at the stars. Tomorrow they would be in the first town in two weeks. She could get a proper bath and maybe some medical help. Yet she was more stuck up on thoughts of getting stronger, feeling lost and deeply missing Grix the blue wonder and Espex Demon Walker. She could feel herself forgetting what he smelt like and how Grix felt on her shoulder and how his happy bark went. Would she lose these memories? A small tear escaped her eye as she closed it to sleep.

Standing near a tree overlooking the camp Dypes looked at the sleeping Samth. His eyes fixed on her.

“Brother… Why do you ask me to do this?”

“I know you have faith in her but can she handle it?”

“You have been wrong before.”

“Ok. OK I will continue this current path you wish but know this. If she dies be it on you not me.”

“Foolish brother.”