I trained with Rolwen for a while. Learning to manipulate a wood spirit through the “contact” spell was about the same as learning to walk all over again. Elves like me learned it at around the same time we literally were also learning to walk, and I was right on schedule with that one.

It was not something so natural for humans like Levin and Rolwen, especially because they could not manage spirit and mana as naturally as the fey could. I’d had a massive unfair advantage over the boys in this area. However, now that Eirlathion had gotten the hard part out of the way, the rest was just managing your intent in order to make it happen again. This was an area I was very adept in.

Another reason why it was better for Rolwen to train with me at this point is that I simply output more mana than normal elves. I put out more of just about any type of energy than the species known for doing so, but mana is the one thing that won’t get people looking at me strangely. And, in this situation, lots and lots of mana is exactly what is needed for Rolwen to practice effectively.

Our method of training was a little rough. My method involved jumping right into practical training. To be more specific, we were sparring. Since both of our bodies had grown to be those of 5 year olds, we could both achieve a full range of motion and achieve the same complexity in our movements as we could in our previous life adulthoods.

I turned my weapon into a short cane to start us off. He had to adjust his up to size on his own.

He put his former marine training to use, coming at me with tight and brutal attacks, covering himself well as he advanced right on me. He had no time for large flashy attacks. He held his cane-length weapon like a rifle and came at me like he was performing a bayonet  thrust, following up with a butt-strike. It was clear he was looking to un-foot me with his constant advancing and tight attacks that primarily utilized overbearing tactics.

It was the brutal and efficient fighting style of a soldier. These are the same sorts of boiled-down techniques that would also be taught to soldiers in ancient times. The small techniques most likely to work, mostly focused on overbearing.

Unfortunately for him, I was trained in the ancient techniques that were taught to generals, the ones they only give to combatants who they are ready to invest massive amounts of time into training.

The MCMAP program has a heavy origin in Jujutsu, meaning it has a common origin with the techniques I have learned. There was nothing he was doing that was outside my expectations, and I knew very well how to counter it.

I dodged around his thrust, and then used his follow-up to get a hand on his elbow. He was trained enough to know the dangers of someone getting leverage on his elbow, so he took half a step back and yanked his elbows tight to his body. As a parting shot while he was retreating, I gave his knee a good whack with my cane that had the weight of an entire tree.

Rolwen grunted in pain, but thanks to the same absurd strength that allowed me to even lift my weapon at all, he was also able to take the attack without his knee shattering. Ultimately, it only caused him a bit of mild discomfort. That was all it took though for me to advance on him again and get a hand on the center of his weapon. We began to struggle over it. I wasn’t really trying to take it away from him, but so long as I was yanking it around it presented a threat he would have to deal with. While this was distracting him, I swung my weapon in a helicopter motion toward the back of his head. At the same time, I released my grip on his weapon.

He retreated again to avoid the blow. The very moment he moved away, I immediately stopped the circular motion with my helicopter blow by pulling the base toward my chest. I channeled mana through my weapon and causing it to extend in length. Without me even having to make a thrusting motion, it was extending out like a spear. In fact, my arms were making a retreating motion, causing a disorienting illusion for my opponent.

Rolwen noticed what was happening too late and, in a panic, smashed his own weapon down on top of my extending staff. However, in his panic, he managed to forget the most important part. He was still on-line for the attack, and bashing the thing wasn’t going to stop it from extending. All he’d managed to do was re-direct the attack from the center of his sternum, causing it to hit him in the solar-plexus instead.

Rolwen’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head as his entire body was thrown backward, and his hand went to his mouth in order to prevent himself from throwing up as he started coughing and sputtering as he rolled about on the ground.

I walked over to the side and picked up a small pouch, then dropped it beside Rolwen.

[Here, three should be enough.] I told him. [Get healed up. We’re going again.]

“Gahhh…!” Rolwen gave a miserable growl, but it was interrupted by a barely suppressed burp that I am sure was threatening to bring something else up with it.

I decided to take pity and open the bag for him. I got out three small berries. These had been supplied by Eirlathion. Some application of plant magic that let it be used for healing. As good as I was with the wood warping aspects of plant magic, this healing effect is one thing that I’d never been able to duplicate myself.

Rolwen threw the berries into his mouth the very second they touched his hand. He chewed and swallowed, and then immediately showed relief. These berries are still nowhere even close to what Tia’s healing potions could do, but it was just what we needed for training sessions like these.

“I call shenanigans on that one.” He said. “I just learned how to do this wood-shaping stuff. You’ve practiced for three years, and you’re an elf too. I mean, you freaking made these things with your magic!”

“Training with your seniors is the fastest way to learn.” I told him. “You trained in the real stuff back on Earth too. Would you complain about the enemy using tactics you’d never been exposed to before?”

“Hell yeah! If I survived it, I would freaking bitch my ass off! Then I’d whine until the guys upstairs found a way to counter their tactics.” He said.

“I do hope you’re joking.” I said in a dead-pan as I offered him a hand to pull him up.

“Heh, maybe.” He said and accepted my hand. “That’s still exactly what I’d do, but I think most of my bitching would be about my orders, and most of my whining would be to my superiors pushing them for how we gotta change the rules of engagement to account for whatever I saw. I’d have my ideas about how to counter that BS, but I still have to operate according to the rules of engagement, and sometimes the rules of engagement are total BS that almost seems designed to get us killed, even to the extent of explicitly forbidding the tactics I’m sure would work to counter whatever tactics I’m seeing from the enemy.”

“Well, I’m training you to survive, not to follow orders. So, expect some unfair BS.” I told him.

He groaned and rubbed the area I had struck him. Fortunately for him, we were going to have to put our next round on hold. We had a visitor.

My mother had come onto the scene, along with Fomire, her usual companion. Fomire was the granddaughter of the tribe’s matriarch, and she had been assigned as mother’s personal attendant. She even brought along her own daughter, Sarana, who filled the same role for me. Sarana was the same young lady who’s arm I had accidentally broken after having woken up from that vision, the one that served as the final catalyst in driving away Tia.

Thinking about Tia always left a sour taste in all our mouths. I still had my own mixed feelings in regards to her role in the mess with my granddaughter, but I am sure I would have been able to work it out if she were still here with us.

Tia was an idiot. I even told her, I knew something like that was coming. I could see it coming from so far away, and I was already prepared to forgive her for whatever it was. But, she went ahead and left anyway.

I had done a lot of thinking about that night three years ago. Why Tia had left. How she could have not trusted me. Yes, I was definitely angry. I had a deep pit of… something. Something deep, dark, and negative that I can’t even put a name to. But that wouldn’t have mattered.

After a while, I began to realize how much I hated holding this ball of caustic dark emotion inside of me. I wanted to see Tia again, if only to talk with her and address these feelings. I knew that if I could just talk to her I would be able to work them out.

Yeah, I knew. I knew that all my thoughts were about myself whenever I thought about Tia.

I’d tried to figure out what she was feeling at that time. But, it was hard to figure out what she was really thinking. She had never shown us her true face, always acting like she had a far younger mentality. She had shown me a glimpse of the real her near the end, but I had not known that side of her long enough to really get to know her.

It was frustrating. Ultimately, I concluded it was a combination of many factors that caused her to leave. A perfect storm of sorts. She wanted to help Mr. Adderson rescue the others. We all wanted that, and she was the one who had the means and opportunity to actually do something.

The rest of it… it all just made it easier for her to make the decision. I couldn’t even guess at how many factors she was consciously aware of and considering. I liked to think maybe… the reason was Sagle and Rimir. She was only following my lead, carefully manipulating the perceptions of the others, all in order to put up the perfect impression. I liked this idea because… it would mean the reason she acted the way she did… was because she trusted me. Trusted me to… do almost exactly the thing that I did. Give her an opportunity to get away unopposed, teaming up with Mr. Adderson in the process.

[Master Eirlathion! Asaren!] Mother called out with a kind smile. There was still some pain behind her eyes when they met mine, but she pushed it aside quickly. She and I had not communicated smoothly as mother and child over the past three years, doing a constant dance around one another where we had formed a sort of tolerance for each-other's presence. She seemed to be making good efforts on getting over the strangeness of having a daughter with memories of a past life, and also putting aside the pain of how we were conceived.

Meanwhile, I had built up something of a resentment for how she'd pushed us away at first. I knew it was entirely counter-productive to harbor these feelings, and she had reasons for behaving the way she did, but... sometimes, the heart is just not logical, and feelings of betrayal are something that cuts deep.

Well, let’s stop thinking about negative things. How about we see what she wants to say?