Arland and Leera made their way through the forest, walking along the trail.

Suddenly, Leera held up her hand causing Arland to stop mid-step. He opened his mouth to question her when she brought her finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

She dropped low and made her way forward, sneaking through some brush. Arland lowered his stance and followed her through the brush off the side of the trail.

When he caught up to her, she was hunched over, looking into a small clearing. In the center were a small group of Skvaders - small beasts with the front half of a rabbit and the back half of a bird. Both halves were ragged and patchy. They had small, needle-like teeth and were covered in patches of black and brown fur.

There were three of them, all eating the carcass of a deer that was half-eaten already.

"They will eat anything," Leera whispered.

Arland nodded, "But they are not strong, so why are we worried?"

Leera kept her eyes on the beasts, "Because where there's one, there's twenty."

Arland raised an eyebrow, "But there's three. So that should be fine, right? Surely they'd all eat at once."

Leera sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Your ignorance confounds me, boy. You think those three small beasts could eat half a damned deer?"

Arland quickly caught on, "You're right... There's more mass missing from the deer than the three of them combined... So where are the others?"

"Hidden. It's a survival tactic. The hunters feast first, then they stand guard while the breeders eat their fill. Then they move on."

"So how do we do this?"

Leera grinned at him as she reached into her pack and pulled out a small bundle. She squeezed it until Arland heard a crack, and then she brought her hand back and flung it forward.

It landed in the middle of the clearing, and a faint aura poured from it. The Skvadi all turned and looked at it.

A moment later, there was a cacophony of screeching as a multitude leaped from the trees around the clearing, swarming the spot where Leera's bundle had landed.

Arland kept his eyes locked on the frenzy before him as Leera explained, "They have virtually no intelligence, which makes them especially susceptible to lures."

She watched them for a moment before drawing her sword, "It's time to attack. An individual is no threat, but don't let yourself get swarmed. I won't be able to help you before they overwhelm you if you do."

Arland nodded, "Understood."

He pulled out his sword and readied himself. Leera stalked out from the underbrush, keeping her eyes locked on the Skvader frenzy. Arland took a deep breath and stood, calmly walking out of the underbrush. Leera saw him and hissed a brief curse, trying to decide the best option.

Arland held his sword point low and moved closer to the Skvaders, who were all still trying to devour Leera's lure. As he stepped into the clearing, one of them glanced up and let out a screech. The others all turned, focusing on him.

Leera cursed again and shook her head, "Fucking moron!" She hissed.

Arland raised his sword point as the first charged and jumped, its mouth opened and its serrated canines bared. Arland held his sword out, allowing the beast to impale itself through its open maw.

He turned, the force causing the dead Skvader to slide free from the blade as he drew a dagger, engaging with the remaining hunters.

Another two jumped at him. Arland continued his spin, slashing across both, separating their lower jaws from their upper heads before ducking under the bodies. He stepped forward and thrust down, pinning another through its abdomen to the ground. He withdrew his sword and turned back, smacking with the flat of his blade across one that had leaped at his back.

Leera finished off the three that had attacked her before turning to see how Arland was doing. Her jaw hit the floor as he danced, his sword and dagger combo lashing out and claiming hit and kill, one after the other. She considered calling out to him, but realized it was more detrimental - he was in a flawless zone. He moved and maneuvered evading their leaps and attacks without even looking.

Something seemed to be telling him where to step and how to move.

Leera turned and charged at the deer carcass, quickly dispatching the three breeders that were hiding behind and in its rib cage.

When she looked back, she saw him dispatch the final three. She sheathed her blade and planted the tip of her sheath against the ground, "You done?"

Arland sheathed his weapons and looked around at the corpses, "Yeah. I'm done. So what now? Do we have to cut off some ears?"

Leera grinned and tossed him a pair of pliers, "Much worse. Pull some teeth. Top left of each. No real use for them, but they work for proof of kills."

Arland caught the pliers, "And why, exactly, do I have to be the one to pull them?"

"Simple. You're the young strong one, and I'm your master. Get to it."

With an exasperated sigh, Arland knelt and pinched the first fang between the pliers. With a sharp jerk and a sickening pop, the tooth came free. He continued, moving around between the various bodies. Once he had taken the teeth, he stood and looked around.

"I killed most of them."

"You were a reckless idiot."

"I had it in hand."

"Arland, this isn't a joke. Don't you get it?! You could've died! Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should!" Leera shouted, turning on him.

Arland stared at her in disbelief. He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off with a hand, "If you fuck up out here, that's it! Done story! I know you have a goal, Arland, but you won't accomplish it if you don't live to accomplish it!"

He closed his mouth and dropped his head. After a long moment of silence, he met her gaze, "I also won't be good enough to accomplish it if I don't press myself to advance."

Leera threw her hands up, turning to walk away. At the edge of the clearing, she stopped and turned back to him, "You already are, Arland. But you take too many stupid risks. You're impatient. You need to be smart."

She watched as he dropped his eyes and slumped his shoulders. She grinned, "That said, I am proud of how far you've come, Arland. You wield that sword like an artist with his brush. But you have to be careful, lest it be YOUR blood that paints the canvas."

He nodded and followed after her, heading back to town.

***

Back in their room, Arland sat on the bed after his bath, dressed in his night clothes, rubbing his hair with his towel to finish drying it.

Leera stepped out of the bathroom, similarly dressed in just a long shirt, drying her hair with a towel. With a sigh, she sat on her bed and glanced over, "Hey kid. You did well today. Reckless, yes. But you fought well."

Arland stood and tossed his towel over the back of a chair next to his bed, "Yeah, well... I feel like I've been at a standstill. It's been two weeks since I left with you, and I feel like I haven't advanced my sword skills in the least."

Leera grinned, "That's good. It means you're realizing your current limits. The only way to pass those is experience. Listen, Arland... Today, You surprised me. I've seen Skvader frenzies like today turn bad at the drop of a hat. I've seen experienced adventurers run out like you did and get completely swarmed. But you... You danced, boy. For you, swordplay is less an art than a passion. I think you're ready to learn the next step. It'll take you a while to reach this point, but it'll give you something to work towards."

Arland sat down on his bed, "What's the next step?"

"Well, the next step on your path to swordmaster is to hunt and clear a dungeon on your own. Then you'll require a blessing. And finally, you'll be required to best your master in combat."

Arland eyed her, "Am I required to kill you?"

"Only if you want. But the trial will need to be overseen by a guild master or other position of authority. This is to ensure that the fight is fair - that I don't take it easy on you. That I truly push you to be the best swordsman possible."

"And just what is a dungeon?"

Leera tossed her towel onto the desk and flopped back on her bed, "Dungeons are the domain of gods and goddesses. They're trials and tribulations designed and maintained by the deity of the dungeon. There are monsters, loot and treasure, and at the end, the Blessing you need for the second step."

Arland raised his eyebrow, "It sounds like steps one and two are the same."

The elf turned her head, "Not quite. You can complete any dungeon, but the deity of that dungeon may not grant you their blessing. It should be one that you're in line with. For instance, despite being an elf, my blessing came from Braana, the human goddess of swords and music. Do you have any idea who you'd want to ask a blessing from?"

Arland thought for a moment, "I don't really know. Worshiping the gods was never much of a priority in my family, so I don't know much about them. Aside from Lysander, the dwarven god of war and politics, that is."

"And you don't want to seek a blessing from him? Tell me, what are your goals?"

Arland dropped his gaze, "Other than helping you with your kin... I had a friend years ago. I want to find her and help keep her safe."

Leera sat up and kept her eyes on him, "A friend? I'm guessing you mean the dragon you and your dad met."

"Yeah. Nury. I know dragons are seen as vicious, but she was kind. She helped me, and I feel I owe her."

Leera nodded, "I'd recommend Seraphina then. Her dungeon is a fair distance away, so it won't be easy to get to, but she is the sole god of dragons. She's a kind-hearted soul, and I'm sure she'll be willing to hear you out. But I don't know the details of her dungeon. But now that you have a solid goal in mind, you have a solid plan. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll start the next step of your training."