The Journey Of Alanna Ch. 07

Author's Note: Due to my busier schedule I'm staggering my release schedule to one chapter per two weeks.

Day 2

Solizzar paced around an open room that he had retrofitted for training. A circle had been drawn in the center. A crude dummy had been set up in the middle, made of burlap and wooden planks with a goofy evil face drawn on the head. Alanna stood in the circle opposite of the dummy as Solizzar paced.

Solizzar held a short sword in his hand. Alanna recognized it was of human make. They tended to make their things as practical as possible, while the elves tended to make theirs slender and ornate, even for their foot soldiers. He seemed to be deep in thought, testing the weight of the weapon in his hands as he walked.

"Tell me Alanna, what makes one a Fighter?"

"The Class," she replied immediately. "If you were born a fighter, or paid the Mages Guild to get your Class changed, you are a fighter."

"Correct," Solizzar stated, "but that's not the entire truth. What does a person get from their Class that allows them to be a Fighter?"

"Well..." Alanna responds slowly as she searches her limited knowledge for an answer. "They learn how to use a bunch of different weapons by just having the Fighter Class, and get better at it with every level. They also get a few special abilities. I don't know exactly what those abilities are, I just know a Fighter is supposed to be able to fight on for days without getting tired."

"That's the basic idea, yes," Solizzar said, nodding approvingly. "All creatures with Class levels get a set amount of knowledge at every level, as well as some abilities someone without that Class wouldn't be able to do. That is why Fighters have immense endurance and why Barbarians are able to shrug off wounds that would kill an ordinary man. However, there's a little secret most people don't know."

He walked to Alanna, handing her the sword. It felt weighty in her hands, but the size was perfect.

"While we cannot replicate the special abilities of other Classes, we can learn their skills. It takes a great deal of time and effort, but even a lowly Peasant can become a swordsman the equal of any Fighter, Paladin or Barbarian. Go ahead, strike the dummy."

Alanna nodded, hefting the sword above her head, and with a swing, struck the dummy right in the torso, where the blade cut lightly into the wood. It was a ponderously slow swing that anyone could have seen coming and easily avoided or parried, and while it may have done some damage to the poor victim's chest, it's unlikely to have been a debilitating wound.

"Good," Solizzar said, though he politely coughed immediately following that statement. "I mean, good first attempt. Your technique needs work, and your strength attribute is too low, but we can fix both of those with simple training. I am not a Fighter myself, but I... I mean, in my previous life, I had good friends who showed me a thing or two. I would like to pass that on to you with one of my personal skills. When you understand humanoid anatomy, you will know where to strike."

He walked to the dummy, using his staff to indicate different portions of the dummy. "An immobilized enemy is effectively a harmless one. Targeting the hamstring or the gastrocnemius, the long muscle that runs through the calves, is the most effective way to do so."

He moved his staff up to the dummy's arms. "To disarm an enemy, well, many Barbarians will simply target the arms, using raw strength to break bone. That type of strength will be hard for you to acquire, so instead, you should target the weakest point on the arm: the wrist. A solid blow may dislodge a weapon from the hand, and if one cuts deeply enough you will sever the tendons controlling the hand. Alternatively, if you manage to grab someone by their wrist, it is easy to manipulate their hand, though always be careful if there's a big discrepancy in strength."

Then he moved his staff to the torso. "The torso is an obvious choice for many swordsman to strike, as it contains the heart, and a deep cut into the belly will often kill if the victim does not receive healing. However, the heart is set behind the rib cage, which a... Slighter swordsmen such as yourself would struggle to pierce. The belly is a softer target, but it can take much longer for a warrior to die when they are cut or pierced in that region, during which they may take vengeance on you. Instead," he said, moving his staff to the dummy's head, "you should always attempt to target the head. The throat is almost always a good target. A decent cut can open the arteries leading to the brain and give the unfortunate victim but a few seconds of consciousness before they pass out. Any thrust up through the lower jaw will instantly kill. The eyes are another weak point. A shallow cut will blind your enemy, a deep thrust will kill them."

"That... That's a lot to remember," Alanna stated hesitantly.

"Do not worry," Solizzar stated. "Repetition is key."

Day 31

Alanna closed the thick tome, immediately reaching for another from a large, dusty pile next to her.

"You've been devouring those books one after another," Solizzar stated. Alanna detected a hint of pride in his voice.

"The orphanage only really gave us children's books, or books they figured would give us skills that made us more employable," Alanna replied. "You wouldn't believe how bored some people are that they'll write an entire book about 'How to properly keep a house tidy.' These books are amazing! I had no idea that mint didn't just taste good but also helped if you got sick, and I'm learning so much about monsters!"

She was genuinely excited, not just because she dearly needed to know these things to survive on her own, but also because she felt she was finally learning something useful.

"I do have a question though," Alanna continued. "Monsters and animals are always separated, but sometimes I can't figure out why. What's really the difference between a griffin and a very large eagle?"

"Magic," Solizzar replied, eager to jump into his explanation. "All monsters have some innate magical properties. For instance, the difference in weight between a griffin and giant eagle is staggering. It should struggle to glide, much less fly, and yet griffins are excellent fliers. Magic is the dividing line between the mundane and the supernatural. Animals exist on one end of that line, monsters on the other."

Alanna nodded eagerly, absorbing the information like a sponge.

"Monsters can also be created by spellcasters, such as my species, the Worms-That-Walk."

Solizzar's head turned slightly. The fact that he had no true eyes made it hard for Alanna to know where he was looking at any given time, but she was starting to develop an intuition for it. He seemed to have started staring into space, as he tended to do while his mind wandered.

"Sometimes... Sometimes I wonder if all monsters were created at one point. Though, why one would create monsters as destructive and cruel as goblins or as viscous as wyverns eludes me. However, that is all conjecture," he said, shaking himself out of his revelry and smiling at Alanna. "Best not to dwell on thoughts like that, at least not before we find proof. Maybe an adventurer will discover that in some ancient ruin one day."

Alanna smiled back and dove back into her book, gratitude at being taught spurring her on.

Day 148

"I have been thinking about your question regarding monsters," Solizzar stated as both him and Alanna were eating their dinner. Solizzar, being a Wizard, had no problems procuring food. River water could be easily purified with a simple cantrip, and it took little effort for him to hunt game. "Do you remember what I told you about my previous life? How I... No, he, believed there was magic in everything that could be harvested?"

Alanna nodded as she chewed. Solizzar's brow furrowed, as though he contemplated dropping the issue even as he gathered the breath to speak.

"The regeneration elixir was supposed to just be the start. His goal, the culmination of his thesis, would be to create what he called 'extracts' from the remains of monsters. His theory was highly speculative, but he believed that the magical nature of monsters could be harvested and distilled. He never got a chance to attempt it. However..."

He took another deep breath.

"What's wrong, Master?" she asked. She had considered calling him so for a long time, as she had for most of her teachers throughout her life. Those had forced her to call them that. For Solizzar she did it freely.

"Please, just Solizzar," he replied. "As with the elixir, extracts would not work on myself. Even if I brewed an extract, I would have no way to test it, unless..."

He left it unspoken. It did not take Alanna long to catch on as to what he needed, though dared not utter.

"You need a humanoid test subject," she concluded. "It might not work on an animal at all, and a monstrous test subject might contaminate the results with its own magical nature."

Solizzar smiled sadly. "I see you remember the guidelines from my tome on 'The Scientific Approach' well."

"I'll do it," Alanna stated with utter confidence. This was how she could repay her debt to Solizzar. "I'll be the test subject."

"There could be side-effects," Solizzar stated. "They could be permanent. I confess I do not know, and I do not want you to feel forced to do this. You are my guest, not my indentured servant."

"I know," Alanna stated, and Solizzar's response only hardened her resolve. "I can do this, and I want to. If this is what's needed to complete your research, please let me do this for you."

Solizzar nodded slowly. He only now seemed to notice he had been gripping his staff tightly and eased his grip. "Very well. I will begin to make the preparations. Continue your training. In a few weeks I will live for a short expedition to gather what I need."

Day 206

Solizzar returned from his expedition later than expected. Alanna had started to worry, and more so when he held a wooden cage covered by a cloth that shrieked and trashed as he carried it into the cave. It did not sound happy.

"I have decided that this will be a test for the both of us. For me, this will test the boundaries of my knowledge. For you, we will see if your training has paid off."

He placed the cage into Alanna's training circle and removed the cloth, revealing a diminutive, ugly, green-skinned creature. It was bald and had a long nose, yellow eyes and crooked teeth. It was undoubtedly a goblin and yelled at the both of them in its crude language. It grabbed the bars and shook the cage in apparent frustration.

"Get your sword, Alanna. This will be a live training session."

Alanna held her sword shakily, her feet wide apart to keep herself balanced. She had practiced striking, thrusting and parrying so much the lessons felt carved into her arms, but it had always been against the dummy, or on some occasions, against Solizzar.

The goblin bit on the wooden bars in anger, its teeth leaving little furrows. This thing was an actual monster. It wasn't strong, mind you. A goblin was about as strong as a child, but with nasty little claws and a slightly distended jaw that gave it the bite force of a small dog. Plus, while goblins weren't smart enough to melt metal, they knew how to carve wood and stone into primitive spears or knives, and were vicious enough to attack humanoids, especially if a bunch of goblins banded together.

They were the ultimate test for beginner adventurers everywhere. If you could fight off a raiding pack of goblins, you were officially an adventurer. Being able to kill a single stray goblin was a basic expectation for anyone with an adventurer-grade class.

For non-adventurer's? It was more dangerous than fighting a rabid dog. A rabid dog was predictable and only had its teeth. A goblin might not be as fast or big, but they were significantly smarter. They understood the threat a sword or pitchfork posed and often carried weapons of their own. Plus, their claws and teeth were incredibly dirty, and they often smeared filth on their weapons to ensure any wounds they inflicted got infected. Again, not a big deal for an adventurer with party members that could instantly cleanse and heal a wound. For a peasant? Fighting a goblin could easily mean death, even if the thing didn't kill them immediately.

Solizzar stood near the entrance, effectively blockading the goblin's exit. The reasoning was simple, he wanted it to fight rather than flee.

"Are you ready?" he asked. Alanna swallowed, her mouth feeling dry. She didn't feel ready. Her instincts were telling her to abandon this stupid test, but she told herself she needed to prove she could do this. She had been training for months. She needed something to show for it.

"I'm ready. Let him out," she said.

Solizzar motioned his hand, performing the motions for the Mage Hand cantrip, while muttering the necessary incantation. The lock on the cage fell open and dropped to the floor, the door rising slowly.

The creature, wary of what was happening, looked around outside its cage, its fury seemingly halted as it explored its options. Looking back it could see Solizzar protecting the exit, and on the other side it saw Alanna. Its big nose twitched a few times. It snickered.

It smelled weakness.

It burst out of the cage in a flurry of motion, sprinting towards Alanna. It was smiling widely, cackling even, as though it understood that Alanna wasn't a warrior of any kind, but fresh meat that had been delivered to it on a silver platter. Alanna swung, her nerves getting the better of her, but did so much too early. The goblin slowed down to avoid the swing, then lunged as she was recovering.

"Alanna, keep your guard up!" Solizzar yelled. "Do not let it get too close!"

She moved her foot, shifting her weight to bring the sword back around faster. The goblin saw it coming and quickly darted back like a frightened cat, but it wasn't done. It was circling her now, feinting a few times that it was coming to rush at her again in an effort to make her swing and create an opening. It had a nervous energy that made it hard for Alanna to predict its movements, while the goblin seemed to watch her every movement for the slightest twitch. She stepped forward in an effort to get inside reach of her sword and the goblin dashed back an equal distance, hissing and spitting.

A few more steps and a few more close calls of the goblin trying to get inside of her guard and Alanna realized she was tiring out quickly. She knew she had to act before it got that far. In an attempt to finish the fight she rushed forward, swinging her sword in a wide arc to try and catch the goblin using her superior reach.

To her astonishment, the goblin saw this coming, jumping up over her swing and straight into her face. It crashed into her, clinging to her clothes and dragging her down until they both fell to the floor. Now it had the advantage, and it laughed as it pushed away her right arm, the one that held her sword, jaw snapping at her throat.

She was stronger, but it clung to her with all its might. It knew, perhaps even better than Alanna did, that this was a fight to the death, and every time she struggled to angle the sword towards her attacker it would struggle to get closer to her throat.

It was a deadlock, one she was slowly losing.

She was tempted to cry out for help. Solizzar wouldn't let her die like this, but the idea of having spent all those months training, listening carefully during every lesson Solizzar taught her, filled her with an emotion that her life as a meek orphan had all but kicked out of her. Rage. She would not let Solizzar's faith in her be a waste.

Her sword was useless, and she couldn't leverage her strength like this. She tried to think of a lesson Solizzar had taught her that would get her out of this situation, but most of his lessons had focussed on not letting this situation occur to begin with. If you have an advantage of reach over your enemy, you should focus everything on using that reach to stop him from getting closer.

Her mind rushed through ideas, anything that would help her, when she realized just how the goblin had tricked her so it could attack. It used her own attack against her.

So, she let the goblin go. It wasted no time, immediately leveraging itself upwards. Alanna pulled back only slightly, then used every muscle in her back and neck to ram her forehead into the creature's face.

"You have dealt 1 damage!" popped into her mind. Whenever you struck another creature with enough force to harm, it caused hitpoint damage. Reach 0 and you'd fall unconscious, go too far below zero and you'd die. Hitpoint damage was important in a fight for that very reason, but it wasn't everything. It didn't account for factors like pain, blood loss, ruptured organs, or in this case, a vulnerable oversized nose.

The goblin's nose squished uncomfortably against Alanna's skull and sprayed blood from the impact. Dazed from the impact the creature squealed like a hurt pig, letting go of Alanna and falling away from her.

Alanna scrambled to her feet, hefting her sword over her head. She was ready to strike it down... But when she looked, the creature had tears running down its face, clutching its ruined nose in agony, blood seeping through its fingers.

She hesitated. The creature looked pathetic. It was weak, injured, and clearly afraid. Despite it being a monster, a creature people like her were meant to fear and revile, she couldn't help but feel like she had been just like this recently. Crying and afraid on the floor of a manor she did not belong in, being sentenced to the equivalent of death despite having done nothing wrong. The pity stayed her hand.

The goblin looked up at her, a pleading look in its eye.

It lasted for only a moment before it rolled towards Alanna, clung to her right leg, and bit down hard on her ankle. She screamed, the pain now overriding whatever connection she may have been feeling, and stabbed down with both hands on her blade. The creature's misery ended quickly and it dropped limp, breathing its last.

Solizzar rushed over, actually running rather than floating as he usually did, kneeling down to inspect Alanna's wound. She noticed he breathed heavily with the effort, but his focus was on Alanna, not on his own struggle. The wound was deep and bled profusely, and the goblin's foul spittle still stained the area.

"We will need to get you another elixir and clean this wound quickly," he said as he took a flask of water from his robes and poured it out over the wound. The cold water bit the raw flesh, but the sensation faded quickly. Solizzar picked her up and carried her to her bed, where he began to treat her wounds. He had taught her the basics of first aid. "A vital skill for anyone who walked the wilds," he had claimed. Plus, he knew a few spells that reinforced her constitution to help her body fight off any infection. It was not the equivalent of a Cleric or Paladin's ministrations, but infinitely better than receiving no treatment at all.

"I am sorry, Solizzar," Alanna said quietly as he finished wrapping a bandage around her foot. Her disappointment in herself had been growing since the end of her fight. He had been trying so hard to teach her, and she had messed up when it mattered most.

"For what exactly, Alanna?" Solizzar asked quizzically, then he chuckled joyfully. "You did well! Let no one tell you otherwise. I assure you any untrained level one Fighter would have made the same mistake. Killing is... It is..." he said, trailing off as he often did when he tried to find the right words.

"Killing is a necessity, but it is not easy for any humanoid creature. Even orcs, who enjoy a good physical altercation every now and again, will hesitate to kill. It is... It is a skill. It will never be easy, but you will learn to do better at it."