Going back in time until about 8 AM, Momo had just gotten inside the training room at Levadia Woods. Like always, she had her sleeveless armor equipped, and her grandpa’s bag was slung over her shoulder. She was smiling and skipping, but she made sure that she didn't run because that would have been rude.

Oh man, ever since this whole thing started, I’ve been super happy. See, this is what I wanted when I joined Warden. A good friend in Servi, maybe a good friend in Srassa, and a super friendly mentor willing to make sure I’m prepared! I really do hope I can be friends with Srassa, though. Maybe I’ll ask if she wants to meet Servi.  It'd be super cool if the three of us could be super good friends.

“Okay, okay. Gather around!” Dineria clapped. Her long green hair, tied in a pair of twin tails, lightly bounced around. She wasn't wearing any armor, but she wore a unique-looking shirt and skirt made of leaves and bark from a tree.

"Today, I’m going to talk to you all about the end of our program. I know, I’m sad too. Watching you all grow has been an enjoyable part of my life. And I truly mean that. I really do. I'm glad we still have some time left to spend together. That’s why I’m going to tell you two the final exam you have to pass if you want me to enter you into the tournament.”  

She paused for a moment, and Srassa asked a question. She was sitting down next to the big fake tree.  “How many chances do we get to pass your exam?” 

“As many as you want. Starting tomorrow, we'll practice a little bit harder each day to guarantee you all have the skills to pass the three parts of my exam. One: you need to hit two bull’s-eyes on five targets, with each one being further away, using no more than twelve arrows. Two: I will perform a display of attacks, and you need to copy them the best you can. Third: you need to beat the obstacle course in less than five minutes,” she turned to look at Momo, who shook slightly.  Dineria smiled and said a few choice words that eased Momo's worrying heart. “It sounds scary, but I promise you it’s not. It’s just doing the same thing we’ve always been doing. Perhaps I could’ve worded it a little bit better.” 

And so, for the next six or so hours, including a small forty-five-minute break that consisted of tea and lunch, the two girls trained like crazy.  

Now, Momo had improved a lot. The form she learned from Servi was good, but it needed to be improved. Her back was a bit straighter, the way she held the string with her fingers was more composed, and she even learned a better way to draw the bow.  

“Remember, hold it up with your left hand like you’re trying to shoot the sun, and use your right hand to draw the string back while you lower your left hand. Take a deep breath while you do so, and shoot when ready,” said Dineria. She sat on a chair, sipping a wooden cup of tea as she watched her pupils. Mentally, she judged their form and breathing and offered them tips and improvements.  

“Srassa, your wrist is slightly bent down. That’s why you're coming up short. See, watch my wrist closely,” their mentor took Srassa's bow, nocked an arrow, and drew the string back. “See? You were holding like this...” Her wrist slightly moved. “It doesn’t seem like a lot, but every little individual movement adds up when you take the shot. A little bend here or a small twist there when you’re pulling back the string can make a difference. Try it again.” 

Srassa nodded and took the bow. Her hands were wet and sweaty, but Dineria didn’t even seem to notice it. She did what her mentor said and focused hard on keeping her wrist still. She released the string, and her arrow struck the target, but it was far from a bull’s-eye. Regardless of that, Srassa still smiled when she heard her mentor clap from behind.

“That was better. Your wrist was still a bit crooked but not by much. Really work on your wrist movement. I think that’s the part that’s holding you back.”  

After Dineria said that, she looked to the right at the other lane. Momo was there with the traditional bow. Her weapon was all wooden and sleek, reinforced by a clear coat of sap. It looked to be so expensive, but it was made from a regular tree nearby. Her face was slightly wet in a layer of sweat, and she was in her underclothes which consisted of a white tank top and shorts that came to above her knees. Dineria once told them to wear something easy so they wouldn’t overheat.  She had also told two of them that the bulkiness of their armor might be throwing them off.  

“Once you get it down in regular clothes, then you can start adding your armor. Every little bit of weight that is added will affect you in ways you didn’t know. To be an archer is to understand your body. If your brain isn’t in line with your arms, wrists, fingers, hands, and back, you’re not going to be able to reach your full potential. And adding things like gloves or armor when you’re not used to using your skin to feel the bow's string will cause you to learn the wrong way. What seems to be right will be wrong, and it’s difficult to unlearn what seems to be right, which was actually wrong, to learn the authentic right way. Does that make sense?” Dineria had told her.

Momo was stupefied. She sort of knew what Dineria meant by it, and she nodded.  She also knew Dineria had an odd way of speaking, but she was used to it.

Basically, if I learn wrong but think it’s right, then trying to unlearn the wrong way to learn the correct way is more effort than learning it outright? Yeah, I think that’s it... Jeez... That gave me a headache...

Still, Momo was a near-perfect shot for the first three targets. She could get two bull’s-eyes on the fourth target in four attempts, but that left her with just two arrows for the final mark. It was 25 meters away, and the Singi still had trouble even hitting it in the first place. 

Right now, there's no way I can hit it twice in a row.

But that was fine. Momo still had some time left with Dineria.  

After an hour of non-stop practice, Srassa's and Momo's hands started to hurt. To give them a break, Dineria took the two mentees over to the start of the obstacle course. It spanned the length of the training room, turned, and continued. It was filled with jumps, rocks, uneven terrain, icy wood, ropes to climb, gaps to jump, and even a tree to climb, amongst other things. Dineria showed it to them on the second day, and the Elf displayed all it had in less than three minutes.

She told them it was an important tool to help accelerate their training.

“You never know what kind of terrain you’ll be going to, but you can make a guess. In a place like Canary, you can expect forests and caves. In a big city like Adenaford or Keyya, you could find yourself going to a snowy mountain, a deep ocean, or a flaming volcano. There's even a chance to be sent to a different country, so you gotta be ready for their geography. Really, there's no limit to what type of terrain you'd be going to. That's why I made this course. It's the perfect training companion. Not to mention that this is a great full-body workout. Your arms and hands, shoulders, stomach and back, legs, and thighs will all be exercised. And that’s what this course is all about. It’s filled with a few different terrains you might come across, and the goal is to finish as fast as possible.”

“But if we somehow finish it in the five minutes early, do we have to do it again on the final day?” Srassa asked as she raised her hand.

“Good question. No, you don’t. However, you’re more than welcome to keep going even when you get to the five-minute mark. The one who gets the best time gets one of my cookies.” Ah, yes. The age-old tactic of offering a dessert was enough to send Srassa straight to the starting line.  

Dineria’s hand-baked cookies were mouthwatering, and she claimed they were healthy and sugar-free, but Momo didn’t see how. Still, she wasn’t going to start complaining.  

Momo stood off to the side with Dineria and watched as Srassa ran through the course. The first obstacle was a pretty tall tree they had to climb. It wasn’t the really tall one in the middle of the room, but it still pretty big and intimidating. After that, she had to run down a rocky incline, which was to train their balance. There were rocks and tree roots everywhere, providing an uneven and dangerous terrain to practice on.  Srassa ended up tripping on a rock and tumbled the rest of the way down.  

“Srassa!!” Momo cried, but Dineria put her hand up to stop Momo from running over. Srassa didn’t cry out in pain. When she stood up, she discovered that there wasn’t even a scratch on her shiny leather tunic that hugged her slim body.  

“Yeah, there’s no worry about getting hurt.  The course is fully enchanted with Remedium.  Basically, any damage is almost fully healed instantly.  Have I not mentioned that before?" Dineria put her hand to her chin and grinned slightly.

Momo shook her head.

Momo’s curiosity was growing, she didn't know it was possible to enchant an obstacle course, but she stopped herself from asking.  It wasn't the right time to ask, and it wasn't something she needed to know at that very moment.  So, she watched as Srassa picked the pace and ran for the next obstacle. If her memory was correct, then the ground there was slippery. A comedic scream that came from the girl running the course proved Momo right.  

Srassa forgot about it even though they ran it the previous day, and she slid against the guard railing. Her shoulders took the full brunt of the impact, and they should've broken, but she was just fine.

“Remember that the blue wood you see is supposed to be ice. Unless you have boots specifically for slippery surfaces, always be careful. One wrong slip can send you tumbling!” her mentor hollered out. Srassa replied with an energetic “Got it!” and kept on trucking to the wall in front of her.

It was like a rock wall but different. The handholds available to her were blue, meaning they were supposed to be cold and wet.

It's funny.  I wasn't scared the other times I did this, but I am now.  I'm probably just nervous because I know Dineria is timing us. I hope I don't mess up anymore.

“Srassa!! I believe in you!!” Momo encouraged her friend from down below. She waved her arms and jumped around, and that filled Srassa's heart with determination.  

It took two minutes for her to climb the icy rock wall, and she knew she failed then and there. She still had the robe bridge, the rope swings, the gap to jump, the rope wall, the crawling portion, hoop dive, the finger ledge, and the uphill dash. All, of course, alternating between being rocky and uneven to being blue and slippery.  

She failed the rope swing once by forgetting to grab it. During the icy rope wall, her foot slipped in through one of the holes, and she wasted valuable time getting unstuck. She made the gap the first try and only spent ten or so seconds on the slithering portion, where she had to advance on her stomach. For the hoop dive, it was perfect and almost as good as Dineria’s attempt. She lost her grip once on the finger ledge, where she had to cross a small two-meter long gap using only her fingertips. For the final uphill dash, she tripped on a tree root and fell. When she finally made it to the end, she finished with a time of 9:24.  

She slowly slumped her way over to Momo and Dineria, who had a chair waiting and collapsed in it. Her soft face was drenched with sweat, her blond hair stuck wetly to her forehead, and she seemed to exhaled air more than she inhaled. Though after a few seconds, her breathing was somewhat under control.  

“How was it?” she finally asked.  

“It’s a personal best. 9:24. I assume you know where you can improve on? 

The course wasn’t that long, but it had many different parts, some of which wasted valuable time if she failed and had to try again.  

“Yes, I know. I promise I’ll get better!”  

Dineria smiled and patted Srassa's wet blond hair. She went beet red. “I know you will. There’s still some time left, so don’t start panicking. Momo?” 

“Right!” Momo was enthusiastic about her attempt. Dineria had said that most of the Singi she knew were agile and acrobatic.  When she got to the starting line, she bent down and stretched for the final time.

I mean, I’m a Singi, right? I got the ears and the tail, so I should be good at this.  It might take some time, but I'm sure I can do it!

The moment Dineria shouted go, Momo was off. She had more experience with this than Srassa did. For the first few days, Dineria helped Srassa a little more since she had no experience with the bow or sword. Momo, meanwhile, took the time she had after shooting a few arrows to walk and try the obstacle course.  

She would claim that she was knowledgeable, and it showed. She climbed the tree with ease and got past the downhill section without a problem. Her pink hair flowed behind her like it was desperately following its master. She had a close call with the ice rock wall but managed to save herself with her right foot.  

The robe bridge wasn’t icy, and Momo had a decent sense of balance, so she relied on that. She had a bit of trouble on the swings. They weren’t slippery, but they didn’t feel like rope should've felt. She slid down and didn’t have enough momentum to make the jump, so she had to try again. And that wasted valuable time.  

The gap to jump, rope wall, and the prone obstacle, where she had to crawl on her stomach through a small tunnel, were also easy for her. The hoop dive was where the difficulty ramped up. It had to be done almost perfectly because Dineria graded on the style and accuracy of the dive and how efficient the recovery roll was performed. She had to repeat it two times until her mentor was satisfied.  

The final obstacle was the dreaded uphill run filled with rocks and tree stumps. It surprised Momo, but the Singi didn’t have that much of a problem.

Momo didn’t know if it was the spirit of the Singi-- as in the essence of her ancestor's ability and acrobatics that helped her-- or if it was her own effort. If pressured to ask, she would go with the first one. Even through all of her training, Momo's personal confidence was still low. But she was slowly developing, growing, and realizing that she was worth something.  And that something was the fact that her life mattered, and it was hers to live in any way she wanted to.

“Alright, your final time was 7:11. Good job. Failing the rope swing was at least a thirty-second time loss, and you missed the hoop dive twice. That’s twenty seconds each. If you can get those on the first attempt and become more familiar with the course, you’re sure to get a time of 4:54 or so. And yes, that includes you too, Srassa. I believe in both of you, okay?” 

“Right!” they both said, replying at the same time.  

Dineria clapped her hands, and a few employees appeared from nowhere. Well, not from nowhere. Momo and Srassa didn’t notice them. That, too, was proof they needed more training. But they knew that. They weren’t cocky in the slightest when it came to their overall abilities. 

They had a table and three chairs, all wooden, and a pot of tea, and a plate of cookies. The three thanked the employees, who nodded, then walked away.  

With an expert motion, Dineria picked up the black wooden teapot with her hand that had the red flower tattooed on it and graciously poured her cute mentees some tea in some wooden cups.  

Every item in Levadia Woods were things naturally in a forest except for Srassa's and Momo’s armor and clothing, leather and cotton, and the food and drink.  

"This is tea brewed and steeped using schwiss leaves. It has an exceptionally strong but sweet aftertaste, even though it doesn’t contain that much sugar. It is, however, good for relieving sore and tired muscles. Especially the smell. Just one whiff of this is enough to relax you.” 

“Now then,” she continued, “Let’s chat for a bit while our weary muscles relax. Anything you two want to talk about?” As if the Elf couldn't be more graceful, Dineria lifted the cup and the plate it sat on up and took a delicate sip. Her pink lips looked so soft as she drank the still hot tea.  

“Momo, may I ask a favor?” Srassa asked. It was rare for her to start any conversation. That usually fell to Momo and Dineria.

“Sure!" Momo cheerfully replied.

“Umm…you keep talking about this ‘Servi,’ and I would like to meet her. She sounds so amazing.” 

“Really?! I was actually gonna ask if you wanted to meet her!” Momo's pink ears twitched, and her tail almost kicked into overdrive. It was swooshing around so fast.   

Dineria silently giggled as she watched the two girls talk.  

I’m glad. One of the objectives of this whole program is to build camaraderie. May you two have a wonderful friendship ahead of you, even if you don’t end up in a party together.  

She took another sip and decided to jump into the conversation.  

“So, this Servi, is she the tank of your group?” 

“Yep. Servi has this big, heavy shield, but she makes it seem like it’s paper to her. I tried to wield it, but I couldn’t.” 

“Wow… A female tank? That’s rare.” Srassa took a sip of tea, and Dineria nodded before adding on.  

“It is. You know, Warden does a little questionnaire at the end of each year. And one of the things they want to know is party roles broken down by gender. There’s actually less than six percent of all female Warden members who consider themselves tanks.  The vast majority of them choose to focus on their skills and become a healer or a supporter. I suppose a few decide to take up the bow and become a ranger or a thief."

“She's good. Really good. It’s like she can see an attack before it comes," Momo bragged. She was hyping up her best friend.  

“Do you know who her mentor is?” Srassa asked.  

“Yep. It’s Fisher Jin.” 

In an almost unladylike manner, Dineria subtly choked on her tea but recovered instantly. Momo and Srassa didn’t even notice.  

“I’ve heard he’s tough. Really tough. It’s not exactly uncommon for the guards he ends up training to quit halfway through.”  

Srassa replied to Dineria. “Is it really that hard?” 

Dineria nodded, and Momo kept speaking. “It is. Servi said she had to spar against a Kobold. She ended up losing, though.” The cute girl took a sip of her tea, and her eyes went wide. When Dineria said it was strong, that was an understatement.

“I don’t think anyone can beat a Kobold in strength. They’re so big and tough.” 

“That’s right,” Dineria said, “Kobolds are the strongest race, physically, that can use skills. In fact, I would say it’s almost impossible for a Human girl to best one in a physical battle. But if skills were involved, I’d be more willing to believe.” 

“Servi told me that they were sparring again today, and she said will Fisher allow them to use skills. So it’ll be their third battle.  I'm hoping she can get her first win,” Momo took a tiny sip of her tea. A Singi’s tongue was very sensitive to hot or cold liquids, so she had to wait for her tea to cool down.  

“You know, I also think I want to meet this Servi. Anyone who goes up against a Kobold is brave in my book,” said Dineria. “Maybe I’ll get the chance at the tournament. She is competing, right?” 

Momo nodded. “She is. Actually, we were hoping to face each other in the tournament. We had a sparing match the second day we met, and I won.” 

“Really?” Srassa’s eyes went a bit wide.  

“I kinda threw my sword at her…. Then I... kinda.. tackled her to the ground” Momo nervously chuckled and rubbed her head. She was embarrassed.  

“Wow.” 

“Yes, wow, indeed.  I never would've expected that from you." Dineria took another sip of her tea.

“I mean, she told me to come at her with everything I had, and I did. But she was nice about the loss. Ever since then, we’d train together in the arena at the Warden office. She would have a shield, and I would have my sword, then I’d try to break her guard. I haven’t won, but I’m hoping I can win against her at the tournament. That's if we actually end up fighting each other."

That’s the kind of party I want to join; just a bunch of friends who like each other and won’t judge. Maybe this is my chance. Srassa thought. She had a lot of non-existent baggage in her mind, but she was willing to put in the effort to overcome it.  

And so, the three of them enjoyed a nice moment that lasted around forty-five minutes. After the tea was gone and the cookies devoured, they went back to training. The two mentees gave the obstacle course another try and improved their time by a few seconds each. As if fate was playing a cruel trick, Momo and Srassa still messed up in the same spots. But if their loving mentor was upset, she clasped such disappointment behind a curtain of praise.

After the obstacle course, the friends each took a sword and began to try to copy Dineria’s fighting movements. Even though she was doing them slowly, the two still had trouble keeping up. Dineria chalked that up to them being tired and exhausted from the obstacle course.  

And even after that, they went back to the archery lanes to fire off some more arrows.

But soon, it came time for class to be over. It was way past afternoon, but the sun had a bit of life left in it before it set.

“Remember, do the stretches and the rolls before you go to bed and after you wake up, Okay?” 

“Right!” they both said at once.  

Dineria smiled. “Good. Now, we’re going to start a little bit later tomorrow, at 9:30 instead of 8. Be sure to have fun tonight, okay?” 

She’s so thoughtful. Momo thought. She couldn’t believe Dineria would postpone class for an hour and thirty minutes so they could have fun, but she wasn’t complaining. And neither was Srassa. The two friends walked out of the Levadia Woods and made their way down the stairs towards the first floor.  

I can do this. I know I can. Come on, Srassa! Be brave and just ask her.  

“Umm… Momo?” Srassa squeaked out as they walked out of the shopping center. The two guards watching out for shoplifters nodded at the two girls as Momo spoke.

“Yeah?” 

“Do you mind if I go change and shower? I’m a little bit sweaty.” 

“Not at all,” Momo shook her head, “Do you wanna meet up somewhere?” 

“I was thinking that you could come to my house. I mean, if you want to. It’s not that far away.” 

“If it’s alright with you, I’d love to come. Then we can walk to the Warden office together,” Momo gave Srassa a gentle smile, but a lot of emotion was hidden behind it.  

I’ve never been invited to a friend’s house before! 

“Really?!” her face lit up in a smile.  

"Yep!" replied Momo as they set off together towards Srassa's house.