"Take this," Avariel placed an old tome into Kali's waiting hands, having pulled it from its dusty place just a moment ago. "This is an old tome. It might be outdated by now, but it is the only one I have that actually teaches about Runes."

 

"Ohhh," Kali hugged the book to her chest like a precious treasure. "Thank you."

 

"That is the book I learned the basics of Magic from, just like your Master." The woman smiled. "I have no need for it, but keep in mind that it is almost two thousand years old."

 

"Okay," Kali chirped. Actual Runes. She could finally add something new to her toolkit.

 

"I'd give you a staff but I think it'd just hinder you," Avariel mused as she walked over to another part of the chamber where a slew of gnarly staffs and metallic staves were hanging off the wall.

 

"Why?" Kali asked, barely keeping the pout off of her face. Staffs were cool.

 

"How do you fight Kha'lythria?" Oh, this is a full name worthy question.

 

"Uhm," Kali furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "I'm fast and mostly dodge while hitting the enemy with a big spell?"

 

"And would a cumbersome staff help you in that?"

 

"The big spells would be bigger," Kali retorted uncertainly, not quite willing to give up on fighting with a coll staff.

 

"Mhmm," Avariel raised a single, judging, eyebrow.

 

"Okay, no staffs." Kali pouted. "Wands?"

 

A single snort was all the answer she got.

 

"Okay, no wands either." Kali grumbled.

 

"I think it'd be much more beneficial if you made a casting focus of your own in the future," Avariel said gently. "All these staffs here weren't made for you, and after a while would just hold you back."

 

"But they'd work for a while!" Kali retorted. "And I could store them in my ring if I wasn't using them!"

 

"Let me be a bit blunt then," said Avariel. "You don't need and Foci, especially one not made just for you. You already cast magic batter than the average Elven Mage with a Focus."

 

"Aww," Kali deflated. "But I'd just be even better with a Focus, wouldn't I?"

 

"Being a competent mage without a focus will come in handy, trust me." Avariel placed a hand on Kali's shoulder. "You will regret taking one of these."

 

"Okay," Kali said sourly. A part of her realizing how childish she was being, but the part wanting a staff was still stronger.

 

"Good." The druid nodded and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "What I am going to give you though is … this."

 

She pulled a long wooden case off of shelf and blew off the thick layer of dust collected on it before placing it down onto a nearby table.

 

Kali hopped up next to her, curiosity quickly washing away her sour feelings.

 

"It's good that you have a weapon other than your Magic," she glanced down at Kali's belt, holding her dagger. Totally not an over-enchanted kitchen knife. Nuh-uh. "But this should serve you better than that butter-knife."

 

"Gah," Kali stumbled. Poor knife. "Ohhhh~"

 

The case snapping open quickly drew her attention.

 

Bathed in the dim blue light of the luminescent moss, the silvery face of a blade sparkled with elegance. It was an Elven sword. None could say it wasn't with ancient Elvish script being carved into its face.

 

It was thin and short for a sword, but Kali knew the most important part of an elven blade was its lightness and sharpness and not its reach. A Blade Dancer should be swimming in and out of the enemy's reach like a fish would in water.

 

 

 

"The teachings in that tome might help you a few months or years from now, but this should help you right now," the druid said as she looked down at the blade with a tinge of distaste. "Though, I admit it'll be good to have that thing out of my Grove."

 

Kali was just about to touch its handle when the words reached her brain, making her flinch back.

 

"Is it cursed or something?" Kali asked as she eyed it suspiciously.

 

"Nothing of the sort," the druid snorted. "This was your grandfather's sword when he was young."

 

"Eh?" Kali blinked. "Why is it here then?!"

 

"An interesting tale, that one," Avariel smirked. "But I think I won't bore you with it now. Just know that I am merely returning a family heirloom."

 

"Wait," Kali stopped just as her fingers wrapped around the blade. "When my grandfather was young, there wasn't any Magic yet."

 

"Magic was always there, Kha'Lythria," said Avariel. "We just couldn't harness it as directly as we do now. The blacksmiths of old had very specific techniques since then lost to time to forge blades out of magical materials that brought out their supernatural powers."

 

Finally, Kali lifted the sword out of its velvet case. The sword was deceptively light. Kali doubted she could hold up a wrought iron blade of the same size just as easily, especially with her dainty arms only fit to look nice in a dress. I should really start working out.

 

She gave it a few test swings and the blade cut through air without a sound, she pushed herself, straining her muscles for a last slash and not even that made a single sound.

 

"Just so you know," Avariel said dryly. "That case was just as old as the sword."

 

"Oh," Kali stopped and watched the poor case split in half along where she cut it. "I'm sorry." She quickly bowed her head.

 

"It's fine," the druid wave her off. "I was going to give it to you anyway."

 

"Oww," Kali deflated, eying the two halves of the case. "Can I still have it?"

 

"Sure," Avariel waved her off. "Now go and practice. That sword isn't something fit for you if you don't bother learning how to wield it."

 

"Uhm," Kali fidgeted with the swords still as she strode after the druid, the case safely stored in her ring. "Who could teach me?"

 

"Virendel's sister is passable with the sword." Avariel shrugged. "Take at least a few lessons from her before you go throwing yourself at a Troll, understood?"

 

"Yes!"

 

 

"Fine!" Selene threw up her hands. "Yes, I will teach you a bit. Just stop looking at me like that!"

 

"Thanks!" Kali stopped looking like a kicked puppy and threw her hands around the older woman. "You're the best."

 

"Yes, yes, sure." Selene rolled her eyes. "Lexy would have whined for weeks if I didn't anyway," she murmured under her breath.

 

"Away," Selene pushed her away. "Grab a wooden sword. We aren't using whatever you were planning to."

 

"Aw- why not?" Kali whined.

 

"Because if you manage to somehow stab yourself with a wooden sword, we won't have to clean your entrails off of the floor."

 

Kali raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the 'floor'. Yep, that's dirt.

 

"Find one that is about the same weight as your own sword and the same reach."

 

After a few minutes of weighting the carved branches, they called swords Kali decided on a short sword imitation.

 

"So," Selene crossed her arms as she looked Kali over. "The problem is that if I thought you a sword style we use, it'd do you more damage than good."

 

Kali nodded. Autumn Elves had weights similar to humans. They didn't even have blade dancers, and they tended to use some very unusual styles to make the most out of their magical legs.

 

Not only was Kali a tenth of their weight, but she also lacked those leg muscles. She glanced down at her own legs for a moment, then over at Selene's. There wasn't too much of a visible difference with both of them wearing pants, but Kali knew that if Selene kicked her in the chest, she'd go flying off like a cannonball.

 

 

"Okay, Lexy continue doing what we did yesterday, alright?" the woman looked at the small elf, who nodded back resolutely.

 

Kali watched on as the girl grabbed a wooden glaive fit for her size and started going through a set of swings and swipes.

 

"Try mimicking what I do." Selene grabbed a similar sword of her own and showed a simple over-head slash to Kali, which she repeated to the best of her abilities.

 

What followed was Selene doing a swipe and Kali repeating it, but even Kali could feel that it wasn't quite right. Who did overhead swings with short swords, anyway?

 

"Argh," Selene shook her head. "I don't know!"

 

"Uhm, sorry?"

 

"You know what?" Selene asked. "Can you pass me the swords you want to use for a second?"

 

"Sure?" Kali did so, taking it out of her spatial storage and handing it over to the woman.

 

She did some test swings, her eyes widening as she finished up and gave it back to Kali.

 

"Okay, weird question." Selene rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Can I lift you?"

 

"I'm sure you can?" Kali tilted her head. "I think even Lexy might manage it."

 

"I see," Selene nodded. "I heard that you Winter Elves are light as feathers, but … can I try?"

 

"Lifting me?" Kali raised an eyebrow.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Okay," Kali shrugged, spreading her arms out to the sides.

 

"I'll- um, get to it then," Selene mumbled as she stepped closer. Damn my short genes, every other Elven race is at least 180, but I am hear a full head shorter.

 

Selene carefully grabbed Kali under her armpits and fixed her footing, huffing once before she pushed her muscles a bit too much, maybe.

 

She easily lifted Kali who let out a yelp as she was suddenly thrown a meter up into the air.

 

"Ah shit," Selene cursed as Kali fell back and instead of collapsing together, Kali just got plastered on the woman's shoulder.

 

"Ooof," exclaimed as she received the shoulder to her stomach, sliding off of it like a sack of potatoes. Thankfully, Selene grabbed her before she fell to the floor.

 

"Sorry, I- uh, didn't think you were that light," she apologised with a flush to her cheeks as Kali coughed for breath. Gut punches were a bitch.

 

"Haaaah," Kali huffed after she recollected herself, a painful ache still in her side, but she could live with that. "So what was the point of … that?"

 

"I wanted to know what we are working with," she coughed awkwardly. "Or you are working with. I'm afraid I can't teach you much, but what I can do is some basic moves that should work well with your light build."

 

"Ah," Kali's shoulders slacked. "I see."

 

"Sorry, we can do some spars once you get more used to the sword."

 

"Okay," Kali nodded. She never had an instructor before and she'd learned how to fight with the dagger based purely on her instincts and learning from her mistakes while sparring with Vorgnar. If she had enough sparring she could probably learn how to fight passably well with a sword.

 

 

 

Kali stretched her arms above her head as she walked, a satisfied smile on her lips from the few hours of exercise.

 

The pleasant soreness that spread through her entire body was something she liked. It was a warmth unlike when Mana bathed every cell of her body, combined with the constant reminder that she did something, that she was getting stronger. The muscle fibers might tear, but they'd be rebuilt stronger than ever.

 

She could still go for another few hours of training, but Selene — having a bunch fewer levels than Kali — didn't have the stamina for that. It was a sad thing, really. The woman was obviously skilled in more than one weapon, but Kali still found it rather easy to bet her once she got the hang of it. There wasn't really much the redhead could do when Kali could move as fast as she could swing her sword and due to her training with Vorgnar, Kali was getting very good at 'rolling with the punches', as the daemon called it.

 

 

For a moment she wished she could ask her sister, Ly'Riel was supposedly very good at both swords and magic. Kali never saw her do either, always just coming to her with something dumb and trying to lighten her younger sister's mood. Shiny crystals, nice dresses, painting utensils, sculpting, or whatever the girl could come up with.

 

The thought was appreciated but when Kali only wanted to learn magic, the nice 'wifely' hobbies all left a sour taste in her mouth. She didn't want to learn to stitch or painting, she just wanted to throw Fireballs around. Was that too much to ask for?

 

A soft sigh left Kali's lips, her stretching done for now along with the brooding. There were Runes to decipher and learn. She hadn't even opened that old Tome yet, so just the thought of it managed to brighten her mood.

 

If the book was really as old as the druid proclaimed, then it should be pure. Even Kali knew that all the newer stuff tended to be a touch more complicated than they need be. After all, which Mage that worked on making and modifying Spells wanted to give their work just over to everyone else as it was? They put in useless stuff to drive down the efficiency and power of most Spells, giving an edge over their competition to themselves.

 

Which was why Kali learned stuff from the ground up. She learned the Runes making up the Spells and not an overcomplicated spell circle. Not that she had much of a choice. The single book she previously had only contained a single Spell circle and it was a convoluted mess of lines and shapes that she couldn't make any sense of. Who thought that it was a good idea to put a three-dimensional structure onto paper just to demonstrate the 'heights of magic' or something stupid like that?

 

It was just annoying, a thorn in her side that always reminded her back in the Castle that no matter how much she practiced her simple little set of runes, she was never going to cast that complex Spell in her life.

 

It lit a fire in her heart back then, but over the years, it simmered down to a tiny ember. What could she do? She was right under the nose of the most powerful being in the kingdom. Her puny spells wouldn't as much as tickle him.

 

Not any more. She was barely on the first step, but she resolved herself to grow strong. One day, she was going to cast that dumb spell. One day, she was going to show her father that she was more than his pawn.

 

Kali rounded the corner next to a gnarly twisted tree that reminded her that she was almost back at the house, she'd be alone for now as Lexy was still going strong at shooting arrows into unoffending trees when she left even if her little arms were wobbling. Kali saw the resolute steel in her eyes so she didn't even bother trying to stop the girl. Selene was there to watch over her, even if Kali exhausted the poor woman.

 

The princess stopped when she saw a person on her doorstep, but continued walking when she recognized the argent haired girl.

 

"Hello~" Kali greeted, making the fox-kin snap her gaze up to meet the approaching elf's icy gaze.

 

"Ah, good afternoon," she stood up, dusting off her pants and straightening her shirt. Both of which Kali found a bit too fancy to wear out in nature like this but who was she to talk in a full set of leather clothing?

 

"I just finished sparring and I could use a cup of tea. Want to share one with me?" Kali smiled at the girl. Being the first Faun she saw in her life, she couldn't help but be interested in the girl's story. How did one end up on another continent seeking the help of an Archdruid hiding out in the depths of a forest?

 

"If it is not an inconvenience," responded the fox-kin with an awkward smile.

 

"Not at all," Kali chirped as she threw open the door. In a village as peaceful as this, locks weren't really a thing. "Come on in, make yourself comfortable, okay?"

 

"Thank you," the girl stepped in, carefully prying off her boots and setting them aside near the door. So considerate, there is someone who didn't spend her etiquette lessons drawing bunnies. into her notebook.

 

"We have, uhm," Kali opened the small box filled with a bunch of satchels full of tea leaves. "Black, green and white tea. Any preferences?"

 

"I'd like to have green please if it isn't too much trouble," the girl said as she settled down into a chair. Somehow, the image of the graceful fox-kin dressed in clothing that wouldn't have looked out of place on a noble lady's travel clothes. Which it probably is now that I'm thinking about it.

 

"Alright," Kali hummed, grabbing the green tea leaves and a nice set of teacups.

 

She then went to settle down next to the foxgirl, hear hands working already to carefully set up the kettle.

 

"So?" Kali asked as she glanced up into a set of curious amethyst orbs. "I don't think I even caught you name the other day?"

 

"I apologise for that." the girl bowed her head ever so slightly, her ears flopping down sadly in a way which made Kali want to pat them. "Names are very … personal in our culture, but I suppose with what I am asking you to do, introducing myself is the least I could do."

 

Kali just hummed grabbing a canteen to fill the kettle with. Her Water Gathering was only useful if she was willing to suck the moisture out if the surroundings and right now that might result in the table drying into ash or something similarly disastrous.

 

"I'm Izuna from the Flowing Silver Fox Clan." said the girl — no, Izuna — while puffing out her chest slightly.

 

"And I am Kalitra from Golad'kar," the Princess smiled slightly, deciding to use the Elvish name of her kingdom for once. Mountain Kingdom and Winter Kingdom didn't quite sound as nice as the name her ancestors used to call it, despite the name meaning the same as it roughly translated to "Winter'Mountain". The ancestors were creative like that.

 

"I am glad to have met you, Kalitra," the fox-kin said with a slight twitch of her mouth, a twitch which Kali couldn't quite decipher.

 

"Likewise," Kali smiled. Setting her palms onto the kettle and conjuring up a small candle flame inside of it. Magical flames were goofy like that.

 

If she gave the simple Flame Rune some more mana with a subsequent Hold Rune. This was even as the water tried to snuff out the fire. While the flame had enough fuel to draw from the other rune, it'd hold and burn.

 

She focused on the simple spell matrix and having extended her mana sense to cover the kettle; she controlled it. Under her control, the flame swam around in the water like a fish and under her palms, Kali started to feel the kettle slowly warming up.

 

"Not that I'm not happy that you visited," Kali spoke up. "But I somehow got the feeling you weren't planning to yesterday."

 

"I … had some time to think," said Izuna, deliberating each of her words before speaking them. "I'm not sure what I expected. I didn't really have a plan when I came here … just ideas."

 

Kali nodded as the girl swallowed a lump in her throat.

 

"I was planning to come begging if I had to," her ears drooped dejectedly. "This is not something I can fail. I don't know how I could convince you, but I am willing to do anything to have you help me."

 

That last part might have sounded ominous if the girl's voice didn't crack in the middle of it. Kali felt bad just looking at the girl looking so dejected and maybe even desperate.

 

"You don't need to do that," Kali sighed. She was planning on testing the girl's supposed talent, but she was already sure she'd be helping her and dragging Vorgnar along wouldn't be much of a challenge. A month of beating each other up brought the two of them from acquaintances working together to actual friends, at least in Kali's mind. Not that she was wrong about how easy it'd be to convince the wolf-man.

 

"What do you mean?" The foxgirl perked up.

 

"We are going to see if your talent is really as useful as you said," said Kali, re-conjuring the flames in the kettle as they ran out of mana. "And if it is, I and my partner, have already decided to aid you."

 

"Oh," the girl blinked, and then her tail started swishing left and right behind her. Kali watched on in amusement as the girl caught herself a moment later and as she snapped out of her daze, the tail stopped waggling. I hope my ears aren't as expressive as that. "Thank you."

 

"There is no need for that," Kali said hastily as the girl nearly bashed her forehead into the table as she bowed again. "Though," Kali trailed off. "If you want to thank me, I could use another sparring partner?"

 

"Ah," Izuna blinked before nodding slowly. "I can do that … but what do you mean, testing my talent?" she asked defensively. Weren't talents closely guarded secrets with the Faun? Oh well.

 

"I can't just take your word for it," Kali shrugged. "I don't need you to tell me what your talent exactly does, just demonstrate that you could get us through," Kali frowned in thought. "Border check? Or something similar. You know, guards and stuff like that."

 

"I can do that," Izuna nodded slowly once, then repeated it more quickly twice. "Yes, I can do that."

 

"Great," Kali smiled. "Tea is done. Let's enjoy it for now and we can talk more about the serious staff after, alright?"

 

"Alright," Izuna smiled, her polite smile back in place as Kali got to filling their cups.

 

Following which Kali embarrassed herself with her rather lacking tea etiquette, but the tea was rather good and she had a new sparring partner. One that should be capable of keeping up with her just as much as Vorgnar.

 

 

The peace and safety of the village was nice, but the call of adventure getting louder by the day.

 

Soon, they'd be back out in the wilds and fighting for their lives.