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Learning Giga-flash (-2700 exp) and Saboteur (-1000 exp).
A deep breath. One leg stepped back. Both palms grip the hilt of a drawn sword. Whirls of fiery energy surround the blade of the nodachi, swirling around the girl in flashes of harmless flame. Something that was once achieved with difficulty through intense concentration seemed to be becoming second nature. A sharp swing and the same flares brighter and brighter until it erupts into a flash, illuminating the space around the girl. Anyone else would have squinted involuntarily, but Alaria seemed to see everything even more clearly. The native flame did not harm her eyes, being an extension of the Tanarsian's own essence. A leap to the side and a swift maneuver. These are followed by another slashing strike intended for an open vulnerability in the defense of an imaginary opponent. Different iterations of the same action repeat for some time until the warrior gives a satisfied nod. She hadn't really thought about it before, but her newly acquired ability to exploit the weaknesses of her opponents complemented the abilities of the path of fire to disorient them quite well. It would seem that pitch darkness and bright light were complete opposites, but in this context, they served the same purpose perfectly. There was even something philosophical in this similarity of opposites.
Alaria felt a certain sense of pride observing the fruits of her labor. Today she completed her mastery of the path of Eir, achieving proficiency in the last of the remaining three techniques. It had been a long journey, taking her about half a year, but the results spoke for themselves. She could congratulate herself. But it was not right to relax or be content with only what had been achieved. There is no limit to perfection—it is a path, not a destination. As a student of an ancient martial school, it was improper to stop at what she had already attained. Like any other martial art, the school of Baldr deserved for its practitioners to develop it further: to create their own techniques based on the knowledge gained, and to reach even greater heights of mastery than their predecessors. And the Tanarsian did not intend to fail. But she also understood that this was a difficult task, which would require perhaps even more effort than the path she had already traveled. Therefore, it was best to start small, with something familiar yet forgotten, which the girl still planned to reclaim.
Melesar might have stripped her of her past skills, but he did not erase all the memories associated with them—only the fruits of long training. At least, the former Inquisitor sincerely hoped so. And so she once again immersed herself in the now-familiar state of meditation, but this time concentrating on her distant past. On memories of another world. Of her life in Tanarsis.
***
Evening was approaching. A cool breeze played with the foliage, scattering it around. The training ground was almost empty; the future Inquisitors had gone about their business, and now only two figures remained there. One of them, with fierce persistence, repeated the same set of movements against a training dummy. Stubbornness and determination were written in her eyes. This figure was the young Alaria Doran. At that time, her hair was much shorter as a result of persistent attempts to master the sacred Tanarsian flame as quickly as possible. Consequently, the unruly element tended to leap onto the girl's hair, which prompted her to change her hairstyle. She could not allow something like that to stand in her way.
The second figure was a man in his forties. Norbert Stubbs, one of the local instructors. Of average height, with a hooked nose and stern features, he watched his student's training with satisfaction. From time to time, in an equally stern tone, the man offered the girl criticism whenever any flaws in her combat stance became too apparent. This continued for some time until his younger colleague joined them and a conversation broke out between the two instructors. Perhaps they were unaware of it, or perhaps they simply didn't care, but even Alaria, absorbed in her training, heard everything perfectly.
— Are you still here? — the young man asked, glancing frowningly at the girl who was tormenting the dummy, — Maybe stop torturing her already? It's almost night.
— Torture? — amazement and irony were felt in Norbert' same voice, — Softness and mercy are very noble traits, Glen, but she asked for this herself. As a responsible instructor, I am only happy to honor my diligent student.
— You "honor" her like that every day. She is, — Glen dropped his voice to a half-whisper, — a bit out of her mind. Can't you see? Such behavior is unhealthy.
— Where do you see "unhealthy behavior"? I see diligence and dedication, — Norbert gave his interlocutor a sidelong glance, — or do you want me to encourage laziness in my charges?
— Did she complete the necessary training? She did. Did she put in effort? She did. I don't see anything complicated here. You can't call it laziness, sorry.
— But what about diligence? You haven't answered that, — the corners of the instructor's lips rose in a crooked smirk, — one might suspect not softness or mercy in you, but envy. My protegee has proven herself more effective than your students so far. What do you have to say to that, my friend?
— I might suspect pride in your words if I wished to stoop to such a level, — Glen only frowned deeper, — she'll break at this pace. It's bearing fruit now, but later? When the training ends and it comes down to missions. Everything will be harder there. Not for make-believe. She won't withstand the stress with such an approach. Or she'll overdo it and end up in some demon's maw. We need warriors who are not only strong, but reliable.
— Glen, but a true Inquisitor must be ready to give their life for a noble cause, — haughty notes appeared in Norbert's voice, — is that not so?
— With all due respect, stop pretending you don't understand what I mean. Ah, anyway, it's useless trying to convince you of anything, — Glen exhaled irritably and waved his hand, — I've already said everything I could. But remember, — the man gave his interlocutor a stern look, — we will all have to answer for our actions later. You seem to have forgotten that.
Having stated his position on the matter, the young instructor departed, leaving Alaria and Norbert alone once more. The unflattering characterization only further spurred the girl, driven by a youthful spirit of contradiction, and she continued her training with redoubled zeal.
— You may go, — the older man sighed heavily and placed a hand on his student's shoulder, — that is all for today.
— But... — the Tanarsian wanted to object to her mentor, but he did not give her the chance.
— At ease, — Norbert commanded sternly, — this matter is not up for discussion. Dismissed.
The girl gave the man a dissatisfied look, to which he responded only with indifference, silently watching as she gloomily gathered her things and left the training ground. After that, her mentor spent some time in thought, looking at the sky and watching the slowly drifting clouds. But there was no way Alaria could know this.
***
The memory turned out to be more detailed than the warrior had expected. But it helped her look at herself from the outside once more, evaluating past events from a new perspective. Overworking herself trying to prove something unclear to someone unknown was also not worth it. Melesar is already dead; he's not going anywhere. Guided by memories and Norbert's advice, she made several trial swings. She tried to apply that old knowledge to her current fighting style. It was a difficult task, especially considering the difference in weaponry, but they were first steps nonetheless. However, even if recovery is possible, it will take a long time. Alaria did not intend to repeat the mistakes of the past or torture herself by trying to do everything all at once. After all, she's no longer a girl.
Having finished her training, the former Inquisitor headed toward the "Carneola" headquarters. She still had to attend to the promised pies today, much to the delight of her squadmates.
