4 Monastery Training (1/2)
Once they entered the stone building which functioned as a monastery, the first thing that caught Sebastian's eye was the sculptures in the corridor which gave off the feeling that they were there to greet them. They were poised in different actions, as if to depict which specific area they emphasised. He saw a sculpture of a male warrior in a combat stance, another which looked like a farmer holding a basket of fruits, and even another appearing to smith a sword.
”They are the demiG.o.ds that watch over Kalonia.” Leo followed Sebastian's curious gaze over the sculptures and seemingly read his thoughts then and there. ”It seems that in some of the Forgotten Ones' worlds, they wors.h.i.+p a single ent.i.ty. While it does strike me as odd, but here in Kalonia we have the watchful eyes of the demiG.o.ds as they aid us in our everyday activities.”
”Where I come from, we also wors.h.i.+ped a single ent.i.ty, but it lead to multiple wars and strife across different believing factions. I for one, wasn't a very religious person because of that aspect. I mainly believed that I should aid people using my own hands with my own free will.” Sebastian was speaking in a low tone, as he quietly remembered the horrors of the wars that he witnessed in the front line makes.h.i.+ft hospitals during his nursing career. With every step he took in the monastery corridor, Sebastian was slowly drifting away as he looked back on the things he had witnessed during his nursing nostalgia trip.
”Well you're here now so this is definitely another good reason why you should be here in this monastery.” Leo said with a clap of his hands as if to bring the focus back to the present and as if to come to a definite decision by himself. Whatever the reason was for the clap, it worked as Sebastian was jerked from his nostalgia trip back to the corridor of the monastery.
As soon as they walked into the inner cloister of the monastery, they were both greeted by a beastkin man and an elf woman. They both appeared middle-aged while giving off the aura of a well-experienced person having lived through various experiences. Both wore simple robes that appeared to facilitate ease in movement more than protection.
”Is this the Forgotten One that you have taken under your wing Leo?” The beastkin man walked forward while sizing Sebastian up with his fierce gaze. He was being sized up with a smile, but Sebastian could feel the gaze that seemingly pierced through his flesh and bones. He unconsciously tensed up while holding his hands in fists.
Leo noticed Sebastian's tension and took a step forward - as if to protect him from the beastkin's gaze. ”Yes, he is the one I told you about. Now stop being too imposing and ease off. There will be plenty of chances for you to a.s.sess his skills.” As soon as Leo said his line, the beastkin's face returned to his middle-aged man's smile and shyly placed his hand at the back of his head.
”Sorry about that. You're a very interesting specimen. It simply evokes curiosity just by looking at you. My name is Elias Toma, you can call me Elias. I mainly handle the physical lessons here in the monastery. Fighting and maintaining various weapons, using different types of armour, and using them effectively will be taught by me. Be prepared.” He said the last part very solemnly, causing Sebastian to shudder a bit as he started to expect something sinister for the training regimen.
The elf beside Elias slightly shook her head and stepped forward as she curtsied. ”My name is Riveka Ohmsreen, I'll be in charge of teaching you about mana, our society, and proper etiquette here.” She said as she maintained her smile, all the while looking intently at Sebastian. Her smile seemingly masked her intensity, throwing Sebastian off guard. He automatically bowed politely back when Riveka did her curtsy.
Her smile widened as she happily exclaimed, ”I see that you know how to respond to this action, I am immensely pleased.” She had a mature aura about her, exuding elegance and formality while creating an undeniable air of attraction. She definitely had her mature woman charms, and she knew how to accentuate them.
”I've actually never seen someone curtsy in front of me, but I've read it in books and seen it in movies so I know the response.” Sebastian was at a loss at what to do next, so he stood in attention with his hands at his sides. He actually looked more awkward than when Elias intimidated him a few moments ago.
”Movies?” It was Riveka's turn to be surprised as she tilted her head at an angle, with widened eyes and a blank stare. ”I was taught by the previous Forgotten One that we should do this as a polite greeting. The curtsy is done by the woman while the man bows slightly. That's what I learned.”
Leo couldn't handle the awkwardness and the confusion anymore as he also stepped forward to catch everybody's attention. With his hand covering his face, he sighed as he explained in a tone that didn't mask his irk. ”Rivie here met previous Forgotten Ones. She has learned a lot about their cultures and practices as you might have guessed. She is morbidly curious about these things so she has learned them by heart. However she doesn't seem to remember that each Forgotten One may come from different timelines or worlds.”
At the end of his berating, Rivie looked very flushed and started to fidget with her hands. Sensing this, Sebastian finally got a grasp of what had happened. Rivie was probably told that women curtsied when meeting other people, but this information was from the previous Forgotten One's time which was obviously different to Sebastian's.
”In my timeline and world, we don't do them anymore. We used to do them centuries ago or when you come from specific backgrounds. I'm not from either of those so I only shake hands. That would be enough.” Sebastian rea.s.suringly smiled to Rivie as he stretched his hand out to her.