Continuing off of the prologue
It’s a well-known factor that all sleuths have duties, they can’t mess around; they always have stuff that needs to be destroyed or departed from the world. It’s like not having your other half when the jobs not finished. Guilt fills your insides, eating up your humanity, killing you inside that you didn’t fullfill your one and only destiny. The thing is, not all slueths can handle the evil out in the unknown. They shy away from the monsters and leave them to do what they do; eating people, destroying villages, and harming the Kingdom of Salum. That’s why if you shy away from sluething, then you shy away for good. You aren’t brave enough to fight for yourself and the others.
Ember knew all of this and thought about it everyday.
When she woke up on her bed of straws and sighed, another morning of training before she could be trusted on her own in the wild. Oh, how frustrating it was that she had 2 more weeks, couldn’t it just be over with? Her trainer had told her she was ready, but tradition is tradition and for her to be a slueth she would need to be patient. Her gut told her she should go out on her own and hunt the evil without kingdom order, but of course there were going to be consequences. If she did it, she would be locked up, for what? A stupid mistake? ~Not smart~ her conscious told her.
Hopping out of bed, was like jumping out of a dream and into reality, not very pleasing at first. Since she already had her cloths on she slid on her shoes and picked up her bow. She traced her finger along it’s finely carved arm. Her father had made the bow for her before she went through training and she loved it. It was the only memory she had of him before he was slaughtered by wild slum reapers. The thought gave her shivers, followed by sadness. How she missed her father was unbearable, yes, he was stubborn and strict but he was the only one she had left and he was gone.
One last sniffle before she walked out of the cottage. She had places to be and right now all she wanted was for her training to be over. As soon as she arrived at the training center, she opened the gate and slid inside, it squeaked as she closed it behind her. “Sir Assen?” Ember called out, as she peered behind collumbs. The view in front of her was beautiful as always, the courtyard was filled with flowers in the spring, vines in the winter, and vines in the fall. As much as it was beautiful it was relaxing, completely. A small stream had carved it’s way into the clearing, snaking around near the back of the courtyard. She smiled she hadn’t even entered the training part and she was dazing off at how beautiful the spring flowers were.
“Ember. You made it just in time.”
The sound of her name being called as she dazed off surprised her and she whipped around to see Sir Assen watching her. “How’s your day been?” she asked trying to start a conversation, even though they both new it was helpless. They were so used to eachother after seeing one another for 3 years now.
“Good. You?” he asked walking around the courtyard casually, with his hands behind his back. His huge lean but muscular body shape seemed to move as if he was floating. But silly Ember that’s not possible, right?
“Wonderful, I just can’t believe my training is almost over.” She sighed in disbelief.
Assen gave her a look that almost passed as a scowl. She then immediately knew she had said to much and bowed her head in shame. You weren’t supose to talk about your training being over or training in general, it was unpolite as an aprentice. “Sorry.” She quietly murmured.
He ignored the issue and continued on with what he was about to say, “I was thinking about starting today off with bow practice, and since you’ve done it a million times already, let’s practice the hard part.”
She nodded and followed him back into the training part. Once there he ordered, “Lay on your stomach.” She looked at him and the ground and immediatley didn’t argue but just simply laid on the ground.
“Hand me the bow, and your arrows.” He ordered and held his hand out for them to be placed there.
Ember sighed and unwrapped her bow from the hanging position across her back and handed it to him as well as her arrows. He grabbed them and placed te bow on the ground 10 feet away from them. Then emptied the quiver threw it by the bow and chucked the arrows. At first, Ember had no idea what her mentor was doing, but then she understood.
“I’m going to hold you down. I need you to fight me off, then advance towards your bow as fast as you can. Aim and shoot it at this target over yonder. Understood?” he asked.
Ember nodded, mapping up a plan in her head as he climbed over her and held her down, his knee in her back and his hands holding her arms down. Without warning Ember instinctively kicked as far back as she could knocking him off balance, slightly. But she took the chance when the oportunity showed up, she grabbed his leg and twisted, not too hard, but hard enough so that it hurt. She kicked him in the stomach and stood up and ran to her bow as fast as she could sliding and grabbing it and an arrow. She loaded it, pulled back, aimed and released. It hit the target square to the left of the center, she kicked the dust and swared.
“Don’t worry about that. Worry about what caused it. You were totally lack of focus in the end. In a real situation you only get one chance.” Assen stated as he walked towards her. “Try again.”
And so she did, many times, until finally she hit the center every time. “That’s so weird. Your shooting is never like that. It’s always on target and perfect. I think you were completely mentally lost at that point.” Assen guessed. “Which is not execeptable. Your training is almost over and you can’t afford showing up at the Challenge Cerremony , messing up every challenge because of mental focus issues.”
Ah, the Challenge Ceremony. Ember remembered it quickly, since she went with her father to watch the new warriors be accepted or refused. If you were accepted, it was like winning 10,000 euros. The thrill and pride is unbearable, you simply can’t believe it. If you were refused, it’s like being in debt for all of your training and hard practice you put in, that pain, so many go through. But Ember won’t, she wouldn’t. She would try harder than a clown getting attention, she wanted this so bad and if she failed what else was she to do with herself?
Ember’s green eyes glanced up into Assen’s grey eyes that were even more intense by his dark brown hair. She nodded and understood completely, she needed to focus on the prize at the end of all of this.
Ember knew all of this and thought about it everyday.
When she woke up on her bed of straws and sighed, another morning of training before she could be trusted on her own in the wild. Oh, how frustrating it was that she had 2 more weeks, couldn’t it just be over with? Her trainer had told her she was ready, but tradition is tradition and for her to be a slueth she would need to be patient. Her gut told her she should go out on her own and hunt the evil without kingdom order, but of course there were going to be consequences. If she did it, she would be locked up, for what? A stupid mistake? ~Not smart~ her conscious told her.
Hopping out of bed, was like jumping out of a dream and into reality, not very pleasing at first. Since she already had her cloths on she slid on her shoes and picked up her bow. She traced her finger along it’s finely carved arm. Her father had made the bow for her before she went through training and she loved it. It was the only memory she had of him before he was slaughtered by wild slum reapers. The thought gave her shivers, followed by sadness. How she missed her father was unbearable, yes, he was stubborn and strict but he was the only one she had left and he was gone.
One last sniffle before she walked out of the cottage. She had places to be and right now all she wanted was for her training to be over. As soon as she arrived at the training center, she opened the gate and slid inside, it squeaked as she closed it behind her. “Sir Assen?” Ember called out, as she peered behind collumbs. The view in front of her was beautiful as always, the courtyard was filled with flowers in the spring, vines in the winter, and vines in the fall. As much as it was beautiful it was relaxing, completely. A small stream had carved it’s way into the clearing, snaking around near the back of the courtyard. She smiled she hadn’t even entered the training part and she was dazing off at how beautiful the spring flowers were.
“Ember. You made it just in time.”
The sound of her name being called as she dazed off surprised her and she whipped around to see Sir Assen watching her. “How’s your day been?” she asked trying to start a conversation, even though they both new it was helpless. They were so used to eachother after seeing one another for 3 years now.
“Good. You?” he asked walking around the courtyard casually, with his hands behind his back. His huge lean but muscular body shape seemed to move as if he was floating. But silly Ember that’s not possible, right?
“Wonderful, I just can’t believe my training is almost over.” She sighed in disbelief.
Assen gave her a look that almost passed as a scowl. She then immediately knew she had said to much and bowed her head in shame. You weren’t supose to talk about your training being over or training in general, it was unpolite as an aprentice. “Sorry.” She quietly murmured.
He ignored the issue and continued on with what he was about to say, “I was thinking about starting today off with bow practice, and since you’ve done it a million times already, let’s practice the hard part.”
She nodded and followed him back into the training part. Once there he ordered, “Lay on your stomach.” She looked at him and the ground and immediatley didn’t argue but just simply laid on the ground.
“Hand me the bow, and your arrows.” He ordered and held his hand out for them to be placed there.
Ember sighed and unwrapped her bow from the hanging position across her back and handed it to him as well as her arrows. He grabbed them and placed te bow on the ground 10 feet away from them. Then emptied the quiver threw it by the bow and chucked the arrows. At first, Ember had no idea what her mentor was doing, but then she understood.
“I’m going to hold you down. I need you to fight me off, then advance towards your bow as fast as you can. Aim and shoot it at this target over yonder. Understood?” he asked.
Ember nodded, mapping up a plan in her head as he climbed over her and held her down, his knee in her back and his hands holding her arms down. Without warning Ember instinctively kicked as far back as she could knocking him off balance, slightly. But she took the chance when the oportunity showed up, she grabbed his leg and twisted, not too hard, but hard enough so that it hurt. She kicked him in the stomach and stood up and ran to her bow as fast as she could sliding and grabbing it and an arrow. She loaded it, pulled back, aimed and released. It hit the target square to the left of the center, she kicked the dust and swared.
“Don’t worry about that. Worry about what caused it. You were totally lack of focus in the end. In a real situation you only get one chance.” Assen stated as he walked towards her. “Try again.”
And so she did, many times, until finally she hit the center every time. “That’s so weird. Your shooting is never like that. It’s always on target and perfect. I think you were completely mentally lost at that point.” Assen guessed. “Which is not execeptable. Your training is almost over and you can’t afford showing up at the Challenge Cerremony , messing up every challenge because of mental focus issues.”
Ah, the Challenge Ceremony. Ember remembered it quickly, since she went with her father to watch the new warriors be accepted or refused. If you were accepted, it was like winning 10,000 euros. The thrill and pride is unbearable, you simply can’t believe it. If you were refused, it’s like being in debt for all of your training and hard practice you put in, that pain, so many go through. But Ember won’t, she wouldn’t. She would try harder than a clown getting attention, she wanted this so bad and if she failed what else was she to do with herself?
Ember’s green eyes glanced up into Assen’s grey eyes that were even more intense by his dark brown hair. She nodded and understood completely, she needed to focus on the prize at the end of all of this.
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