Chapter 4 Part 1 of 4 (Patreon)

Chapter: Trainer?

Erik shook his head. “These fights are on another level up here.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have won if not for my rifle. That kid was like a damn blender!”

Erik laughed, looking up at a signpost and pausing as Rugrat kept walking. “Looks like there’s a fighting training area down this road.”

“Don’t want to check out our new accommodations?” Rugrat asked.

“Probably just some apartments. We just got here. Shouldn’t we check out the place some?” Erik turned his head.

“I was expecting more than a ‘welcome to Avegaaren’ and then teleporting away. Like a map of the place, or how to sign up for classes, if there even are classes, and training places. That would’ve been nice.”

At the end of the downtrodden street stood a square building with a sign hanging off of it that read ‘combat training’. It looked like poured concrete, with no doors in sight and leading down into darkness, like an elevator shaft. “I think we’ve taken a wrong turn. This place hasn’t been cared for in some time.”

Rugrat pressed a formation. It lit up and lights appeared in the descending tunnel as a rush of air rose out of the tunnel, a dented elevator came to a halt.

“I’m getting some serious missile silo vibes about this,” Erik said.

“You too? Sweet. Let’s go check it out.” Rugrat grinned, raising his eyebrows comically.

“All right, but if this thing breaks, it’s on you.” They stepped onto the elevator and Rugrat turned another formation. It glowed, the elevator dropped, Erik grabbed onto a railing that came free as it arrested itself, his feet back on the ground, the elevator started to descend smoothly.

“Just needs some grease is all,” Rugrat said, not even turning to see Erik’s glare.

“Some grease? This is supposed to be the best school in all the Ten Realms and their elevator is falling apart.”

Rugrat sighed. “Hard to find the right help nowadays.”

The elevator grinded against something for several seconds before it clunked and kept going.

“I officially name this ‘the shit chute’. If you don’t shit yourself making it down to the bottom, must be some kind of iron-blooded mother fucker.”

“Guess that didn’t come with your own metal blood tempering.”

“Smartass.”

Rugrat chuckled at his joke. The elevator reached its destination several minutes later, the doors opening most of the way.

“What the— Who’s there?” A human man said slurping around a mouthful of food.

Erik and Rugrat walked through a small corridor and into a reception area, it was immaculately cleaned and cared for. The reception took up the back wall, with sealed doors to the left and seats to the right and back of the room.

The man groaned and put down the noodles. “Who sent you?”

“Uh, is this the combat training area?” Erik asked.

“Oh? Uhh, so no one sent you?” His eyes narrowed.

“Nope,” Rugrat said.

“Your elevator could use some work.” Erik pointed back at the corridor.

“Elevator?” The man looked around, frowning, before shrugging. “Not sure what you mean. Anyway, you said that you were looking to train?”

“Yeah, we just joined the Academy. We want to work on our combat skills if that’s possible?”

“Certainly is. Uhh, head to training room one and two. The teleportation formation will take you to the training area. Oh, and wear one of those.” Holding his noodle bowl in one hand he leaned down behind the counter, taking out two emblems. He blew on them, coughing from the dust, and tossed them to Erik and Rugrat.

“Put that on. Safety measure. Hit those and you’ll be teleported out of the dungeon.”

“Thanks. What’s your name?”

“Xun Liang at your service.

“Good meeting you, Xun Liang,” Erik said. Rugrat dipped his head as well.

“You will be teleported into a combat test, so we can best understand your strengths and weaknesses. See where you need to develop and what is already developed. What are your names?”

“Erik West, and this here is Rugrat.”

“Jimmy Rodriguez on any forms though.”

“Well, it is nice to meet you both, have fun training!” He smiled and grabbed his chopsticks waving them towards one of the two doors in the lobby, going back to eating and watching something on a seer stone.

“Thanks.”

Erik and Rugrat walked past the empty desk, the door opened to reveal a corridor filled with formations.

“You know, I think they might have gone a little overkill with the formations?” Erik muttered.

“You got the white spots in your eyes too?”

“I think they’re burned in by now. Though I might trust it more than that elevator. Say we try this out for a round or two and then head back up? Maybe we can get something out of this, and I’m interested to see how we do in this combat test.” Erik rolled his shoulders and shifted around to loosen up his muscles.

“Sure thing.”

***

Erik arrived in a wooded area with a fog that made it harder to see more than ten meters in any direction. The forest was alive with the calls and noises of wild beasts. Erik looked up but couldn’t see through the foliage.

A roar preceded the humanoid creature that rushed out from the trees to greet Erik. It almost looked like a Behir, with horns sticking out of its humanoid head and body, but with markings that showed it was no human, like the black-silver, teeth and claws that extended from his fingers.

“Fun.” Erik dodged the creature’s swipe. The wind imbued attack cut through the tree behind Erik and left eddies in the fog that drifted back together. Erik drew upon the elements and punched at the attacker.

The creature jumped away, then used a tree to propel itself at Erik.

Erik jumped forward with his punch, discharging it uselessly into where the creature had been, barely shifting the fog.

An attack hit him in the side and slammed him into a tree, ruffling some of its leaves. The tree was as tough as iron. He cut through this?

Erik faced the creature again, keeping the tree at his back. The creature roared, tearing mana from the world and pouring it into his attack. The sonic attack hit Erik, his heels digging furrows into the ground as he hit the tree behind him, dislodging leaves and branches.

He used a blast of mana through his foot, the creature turned away from the mana bullet.

Erik stepped forward as the creature used the rotation to bring its claws at Erik.

The claws left bloody wounds on Erik’s side and arm as he was launched to the side. He hit the ground and rolled, grinding his teeth as he turned around in the roots and vegetation to keep the creature in his sight. His wounds were already healing but at a visibly painful pace.

The creature didn’t wait. It charged forward. Erik drew upon the elements and punched out, missing the creature and smashing through the tree as the creature jumped to another tree. It was getting faster. Erik’s attacks were always a second or two behind.

The creature scraped off part of the tree it was jumping from and accelerated.

Erik drew his elements into his body, grunting from the wooden shards stuck in his arm. The creature lashed out with its claws.

Erik fought with his left hand as the shrapnel was expelled from his body.

The creature seemed to glide across the ground. Erik couldn’t keep up with the speed, and his Expert grade clothes offered little protection. The creature’s claws were cutting into his skin.

He got his right arm back into the fight. Throwing up stone spikes, he unleashed lightning, aiming for where the creature was heading. The lightning connected, sending the creature spinning and crashing into a tree.

Gotcha.

Erik wiped the blood from his face and moved closer to the creature. As a tombstone appeared, so did two new familiar howls.

“Ah shit.” Erik turned to face where the noise came from.

***