“Alright, while Dana calls to order a skill book, we can all get ready to go to the basement training area if it’s available. If not, we will train in the Cathedral’s guard training practice ground.” Karl decided.
“But… they don’t have a system, they’re just warriors.” Owen noted.
“All the more reason to practice with them. They are simple warriors, regular humans relying on the favour of the Gods to survive, not special skills or magic. You might be fledgling Elites now, but rest assured, anyone on those training grounds is likely to be able to humble you in a matter of seconds.” Sybil didn’t look impressed. She had all these new skills that Lady Rae had taught her. How could she not be better than some church soldier?
The skill book delivery was shockingly fast, and the hotel staffer who came up with the book on a silver tray appeared nearly as eager to see what was going on as the kids.
Dana smiled at the delivery man. “Thank you for the prompt service. Young Owen here is going to try to learn to summon a Golem. Owen, you know the routine. Just focus on the Golem you would like to summon as you cast the spell for the first time, then every time after it will be the same.
But not until we get outside. My Golems are well over two metres tall, and we wouldn’t want to damage the floor in here if you get a lava or stone golem.”
The kids all rushed for the door, ready to try out their new skills, but Tessa hadn’t forgotten Karl’s suggestion, and when they left the elevator, she led them out the front door and towards the church soldiers’ training area. freēwebnovel.com
“This is the perfect spot to train. The soldiers use Holy Magic on their weapons, so the training ground is more than capable of dealing with some Common Rank attacks.” She explained.
The Acolytes didn’t quite understand why she thought so highly of it until they got to the large sandy area that was used for training, and saw that the Red Dragon Clerics also worked on their combat magic here, to keep teams buffed and protected as they sparred with each other.
“Wow, what spell are they using?” Aaron used as he saw the Elite Guards sparring.
“Spell? That’s nonmagical training with wooden blades. The ones over there are using defensive and blade enhancement magic.” Tessa explained.
“But they’re so fast.” The young warrior complained, trying to explain the impossibility of the soldiers being normal humans, though there were no Elites in those units.
“Resources from the church help enhance their physical abilities, When you grow up and train, you will be much stronger and faster than that. Which is why we will ask them to help train you, right after we find out what Owen’s Golems look like.”
That got the attention of the soldiers, who were on a break.
“Oh, do we have a few special cases who were awakened off schedule? Let’s get a good look at these new Elites before they’re lording it over us.
No offence, Sir, and Priestess.”
Karl laughed and waved off his concern. “We’ve got an interesting group of Acolytes today. The Archbishop has asked that we try to train them up as a team, to see if working together helps them grow faster.”
“A holy assignment? Wow, you must have done something right.”
Karl shook his head. “The opposite, I think. We get to train a group of the next generation as an experiment to see if it keeps us all out of trouble for at least a week.”
Many of the Elites assigned to the Academy for short durations were the same way, making up for causing someone trouble by taking on a job that would rehabilitate their image.
Dana talked Owen through the process one more time, then the new mage focused and began to cast the golem spell.
The surface was smooth and pale like a child’s doll or a store mannequin, and didn’t appear to be gaining any features as it grew to human sized. Not as large as Thor, but a hair taller than Karl.
But as it finished, Karl noticed that it was not as solid as it looked, the surface was flexing and shifting slightly as it formed.
Dana stepped forward and inspected it. “Not bad. Clay Golems aren’t the most powerful, but they are highly durable, as they can absorb most blunt attacks with minimal damage.
Now, part of the challenge as you grow will be keeping the Golem properly equipped. It can attack with its bare hands, but it’s better if you give your Golem a weapon.”
Owen nodded. “Do you give yours a sword or a club?”
Dana shook her head. “I have an advanced version of the [Armoured Constructs] skill. My Golems appear with armour and weapons, so I don’t need to provide them. But that skill will take you a while to learn, if you ever do. So, for now, you need to work on how to coordinate your Golem with your magic, and later with your team.
The goal is to have your Golem block for you so that you can continue to cast without being hit.
Do any of you fine gentlemen have a moment to assist us? King Thor will happily put a defensive barrier on you so that you’re not injured during the test. All you need to do is get past the Golem and hug the mage to win.”
The soldiers who were on break motioned for their Sergeant, who came over, bowed slightly to Karl, then turned to Dana.
“Did you need a few of my soldiers to assist with your training, Princess?”
Dana smiled. “Likely not all day, unless you have some who don’t need your full training regimen. This is their first day with as Elites with a class, so our trainees are starting from nothing.”
The Sergeant nodded. “If you would like, I can spare you these four, as they’re all on light duties after injuries. Then, if you would like, I can take the youngsters for basic combat forms training with the rookies starting at three.
They’re also only a few weeks into their training, and mostly only a few years older.”
“Oh, that should be good for the warriors and the Rogue. I’m not sure about our fledgling cleric, but I will be working on mana volume and control with Owen all day.” Dana agreed.
The Sergeant made a ‘get on with it’ gesture to his injured men, then returned to the crowd.
“I will go first. How far off should I start?” One of the men asked.
“Twenty metres is far enough. By the time that a mage needs to go into defensive mode, the enemy is at least that close.”
That was actually a lot more warning than a mage got in most battles, but for the first day of training, it would give Owen more time to work with his Golem. The better that he understood defensive tactics, the better the Golem would understand them. So, as he had no other combat training, this was the best they could do.
Rae smiled at Sybil. “I like this game. We will have a soldier try to keep you from reaching me as well. It’s nice and sunny out, so do your best.”
The spider’s mirth was not lost on the young Rogue. She couldn’t Shadow Step on an open field in the middle of the afternoon, and she wasn’t Rae, who could create a stone to appear under when she wanted to move.
Thor motioned to the warriors. “We will train here. I have a defensive barrier up on everyone, including our volunteers, so don’t worry about getting hit. I will start with Aaron, while Ophelia starts with Jaime, and then we will switch once you have a good grasp on how to use [Guard] and [Shred].”
The young warriors weren’t certain that would be any time soon, but Karl knew that there were skill books for the skills if they needed them, and the instructors in question shouldn’t have any problem teaching the skills.
Thor would be faking Guard with his [Eternal Lightning], and Ophelia would be imitating [Shred] by using [Rake], but the visual effect would be close enough that with some instruction, they should learn some version of the skill without using a point.