Chapter 294 - An Impatient Impaler (1/2)

*Eldovian Era 1714, 18th day of the 3rd month*

They'd actually encountered signs the Tribes after over a month in the Hava Rastellan. Though usually from a distance. The one time they'd actually interacted with a Tribe, it had only been long enough to pay them a small fee for refilling their drinking canteens in the lake that rest beside their main camp.

Through that month, Aegin had begun to teach both Tigin and Rima how to use his throwing knives. He also endeavoured to teach them a few self-defense moves. He'd drawn the line at his short swords though. No way was he letting them near his biggest swords until they knew how to wield something like that without hurting themselves.

When Rima had heard that excuse she'd been offended and insisted on him teaching her. Aegin had promptly put a stick about a finger in diameter and a metre and a half tall, and told her that when she could cut clean through it with the throwing knife without moving or dislodging the base half, he'd teacher her with the swords.

After a few tries, Rima was frustrated and needed a new stick. Aegin & Tigin didn't have to keep chopping firewood either.

”This is pointless!” Rima had snapped after a week without success.

”It's not,” Aegin replied, ”You need to apply enough strength, you also need to ensure the blade hits it at the right angle. Until you have enough control to do both of those, you have no business wielding a bigger blade”.

”Surely the blade should be heavier,” Rima huffed, at this rate I'm more likely to split your knives that the damned sticks”.

”My knives are fine,” Aegin said, leaving the rest of the sentence unspoken. Rima had muttered angrily before she'd turned back to the stick.

Aegin flicked the knife from his wrist and it landed with a thunk in the tree stump he and Tigin been aiming at for the past hour, ”It's all in the wrist”.

”I do not think throwing knives is my profession,” said Tigin.

Aegin sighed, ”Well, I certainly wouldn't volunteer to stand in front of your target”.

Tigin smiled in self-deprecation, ”I would request a new executioner if I was stuck with Rima. She wouldn't be able to take my head off in one hit and I'd be stuck half-decapitated for a few moments while she heaved up to swing again”.

Aegin chuckled at Rima's expense. Rima, who stood a few metres from them with her stick, spun to look at Tigin, ”I cut clean through it the other night”.

”You nearly did,” Aegin stated, ”You knocked it a few metres away where it smacked a rock and snapped the rest of the way apart”.

”I'm still getting better,” Rima said.

Aegin g.r.o.a.n.e.d. Teaching was so exhausting. He'd probably only survived it with Ebony because he only saw her once a week, and he'd been human at the time so her improvements hadn't seemed so minuscule. Now, watching every moment of Tigin and Rima's progress, he was reminded of how slow and repetitive training could be, ”Urgh, that's it, I need to run”.

He stood and stepped away, ”Keep practicing, I'll be back in an hour”.

”But-”

Aegin disappeared in the next instant.

”I really wish he'd stop doing that,” Rima said, ”We can't be that bad”.

”You saw the same demonstration I did, right?” asked Tigin as he stood and walked to the stump, working the three knives from the stump and picking up another three that had clattered to the ground, ”He made it look so effortless. Every time. I'm embarrassed every time he has to demonstrate again”.

”Well, what was it he said after a week and we were getting frustrated?” asked Rima.

”That we're only human?” asked Tigin.

Rima frowned, ”Does he realise that the way he says it is more infuriating than reassuring?”

She swung at the stick before her again

”Of course not...” Tigin said, ”But you're easily infuriated so...”