Thrust into Adventure

[Teki]

Koi Koi

Why her?

The question went through Aldreda’s mind over and over and over. She wasn’t questioning the gods – such an act is not one the likes of her should make – but... why her? She wasn’t anyone, just some church worker from a small town. Surely there were people stronger than her, cleverer than her, or just plain better...? Why would the god of storms, the Fury of the Heavens, the Destroyer of Unrighteousness, Guardian of the Seas choose her as his cleric, his messenger?

Said god certainly did a number on her. She looked over herself again, as surprised as ever about the changes. Physically, the choosing didn’t do much to her... though she felt much stronger than she used to be. But mentally... she knew stuff. Stuff she didn’t before... the Stormbringer did not give her combat experience nor knowledge, but he... seemed to give her skill... the glaive that she held on her back? She could wield it as easily as any man. The plate armor that covered most of her body? She somehow knew how to put it on, as if she always knew. Glory be to him, but... it still felt so very weird....

And he wouldn’t be much of a mentor, at least, not today. The sky was clear and blue, specked only by the distant flock of birds. If his divine eyes were turned to her, he was being subtle about it... which would be rather unlike him. Her attention went back to the area around her; a field, mostly empty, as she travelled on a dirt road. Something more interesting than rolling grass caught it, though, turning her sapphire eyes to a billboard. She ran up to it, curiosity admittedly taking hold of her for a moment.

“Ah,” she said softly, looking over the contents. It was an Adventurer’s Board, a place for people to call for the aid of adventurer, travelers who spent their time slaying monsters and doing quests. Was she really one of them now? Was this the Skyfury’s will? Why?

Thunk.

‘Why me?’ she thought again, gently banging her head against the board.

[Koi Koi]

As fun as the adventuring life was, and she said this with only the slightest hint of sarcasm, Eliza needed a less busy job.

She walked through the road towards the board. Having just finished her last "mission", she was wondering if she should pick up another set of jobs and go out into the wilderness again. She could hear her old teacher berating her for thinking about taking a break, but Eliza had loftier aspirations than a washed up adventurer whose only method of spending time was in complete solitude. Even so, she did miss the days as a student of the hunt, and felt nostalgia of those early days as an adventurer, despite the fact that it was only half a year ago.

But that was not the issue, the fact was that Eliza's dream was for a different field of study. One in the field of magic that she had dreamed of so long ago as a child. But the empty hours waiting for her hunt to appear and the nighttime were not optimal times for experimentation, research, or speculation. There was something to be said for field studies on practical applications of magic, enchanted beasts, and other such outdoor magic, but it wasn't enough to satisfy Eliza. She needed to be discovered by someone, to do something greater. At the moment her work was merely like pencil sketches done between class periods. She needed hard ink work in her portfolio. A true studio to delve into her craft with.

Though when she saw the newbie adventurer at the board, she paused and wondered. She seemed well geared, and wasn't stumbling in her movements. Definitely familiar with her equipment and gear, but still carried herself as a untrained person, not as a fighter. It reminded her of... no, it definitely was the kind of scent a newbie would carry. She felt those memories rise up again, and the voice of her teacher once more echoing through her skull. This was an opportunity, wasn't it? Maybe not to relive the moment again, but to carry on that odd tradition. 

The board itself contained rather mediocre requests. Monster outbreaks, nest investigations... oh, this one would be interesting. Eliza smiled lightly at the sight of it, running a stray finger against the crude drawing of the beast that someone had requested the head of. She nodded to herself before firmly grabbing Aldreda by the shoulder.

"First time at a board?" She didn't wait for a response, taking down 5, no six, different requests from the board before walking away. "These will do. Come along." She mirrored the movements and words of her teacher when they first started, and hopefully if this girl was any bit like how Eliza was, the two would have some fun together.

Monster murdering fun, that is.

[Teki]

Lamentation, the safety of the area, and general lack of skill kept Abigail mostly blind and deaf to her surroundings. Even as the black-haired girl touched the board, the blonde, eyes closed, continued to simply tap her lightly armored head against the board, groaning in her gloom. She didn’t come out of it until her new company grasped her shoulder. She was ripped out of her thoughts, blue eyes suddenly ripping wide-open as she let out a yell, jolting away and slamming her back against the board, though she almost immediately jumped away from it as her shoving her newfound weight against it made an extremely loud crack, her heart skipping a beat as she feared breaking the very important thing.

It, at least by appearance, seemed fine, at least in her hasty once-over, allowing her to whirl around and look at the other girl. Were those requests...? Was she seriously taking up quests? “W-Wait, you’re not seriously taking those quests up, are you?! S-Surely there has to be a better and safer use of your time! Don’t you have some magic to practice? M-Maybe some work to tend to?” She was worried, genuinely worried for this... ‘woman adventurer’... such a thing was unheard of, wasn’t it? Those that were tended to be healers... but she didn’t seem to have a par-

CRASH.

Abigail squeaked and jumped towards the girl, whirling once again to face the now-downed Adventurer’s Board. “Oh, no!” she frowned, “I broke it!” She groaned again, but this, at least, she knew she could fix. “D-Don’t worry, I got it...” Being a priest had some benefits, at least over housework... she was allowed to study, and in her studies, she managed to pick up a few useful skills....

She walked over, grabbing the downed board and picking it up with an ease that surprised even her. The Skyfury was certainly generous with his blessing... and at the same time, she thankful that the sign had broken at the posts; definitely made mending it easier. She moved it carefully, with few hints of a struggle, setting the broken pieces onto each other and holding her hand over the piece. A gentle and simple infusion of magic, applied twice, and each of the posts were mended once more, with no trace of their previous break, much to her relief.

[Koi Koi]

Not even a raised eyebrow from Eliza, she was used to jumpy people. Though the sudden crack was noteworthy for her. This one doesn't know her own strength. Peculiar, a girl dressed in an armor that she wears effortlessly but awkwardly, with enough strength to... Eyeing the notice board quickly... enough strength to shatter the infrastructure of a wooden board. Definitely has to do with magic. On a second note, the markings on her outfit seem to be of an organization. Perhaps she's a trainee templar of sorts? She'll have to ask more about it later. 

For now, Eliza looked at the girl dead in the eye and then back to the papers. "Hm... safer, is it... You have a point." She conceded... before tearing off another 2 requests from the board. "Two more just to be safe." Lucky, too. The board crashed down soon after she got the last quests. Looks like this child is stronger than either of the two could have anticipated. Before Eliza could even say anything, the other girl seemed to immediately take it upon herself to mend it. But how, did she have-

Ooh yes, magic. Definitely a templar. The magic she used was from her own inner strength, not something doable for what seemed to be an inexperienced fighter. Her power stems from a divine faith, most likely. Then good, Eliza knew what she could do for this one. Did Malana have similar thoughts when she had first laid eyes on Eliza? There she goes again, Eliza bemused to herself. Going on about that past. She needed to get over it...

Once Aldreda was finished with her repairs, Eliza nodded and once again took the child by the shoulder. "Come along, now. If you're going to be working alongside adventurers, I can show you the ropes." And before Aldreda could make any retort, Eliza would begin walking deeper into the field. She looked back and called for the other girl to follow her occasionally but would otherwise refuse to break her stride. The two of them would eventually come to a spot away from the road and any passerby. She quickly tossed her jacket and bags, raising her hands in a martial stance. 

"A quick warm up session first. Please, try to hit me without any restraint. I promise you won't be able to harm me."

[Teki]

Mending was such a simple spell, but right now, Aldreda was never more thankful for it. It was a little thing, maybe, but it was a relief that she didn’t permanently break the board. She wouldn’t ruin any guy’s day or make it difficult for them.

She jolted again when she felt a hand on her shoulder again, less so, this time, looking up at the black-haired woman, and immediately going wide-eyed. “W-Wait, what? Seriously?! You’re seriously an adventurer?” She was shocked, honestly, and her tone communicated that, was well as worry. How could she handle adventuring alone? There was no bodyguard in sight... even if she was a mage, it was an almost lethal mistake to not have a man with you, right?

Maybe it was because something about the other girl made her seem like she knew what she was doing, or maybe it was something in her own instincts, but Aldreda couldn’t help but follow her, barely even knowing she was. She didn’t know where they were going, but she followed, wanting but resisting the urge to question what was happening. She blinked when the other woman shrugged her gear off.

"A quick warm up session first. Please, try to hit me without any restraint. I promise you won't be able to harm me."

Aldreda stared at her for a few very long moments. Not even in her wildest dreams was this in any way right; she was a woman asking for violence, and moreover, she was asking her to hit her. That... that was something that she couldn’t even wrap her head around. A monster... that was understandable; it was okay for a woman to fight if she had no other choice... but this was just out there.

“A... are you insane?! I can’t do that! I... I could hurt you! I can’t... are you insane?!”

She legitimately struggled for words as she struggled so hard to understand this woman’s thought process.

[Koi Koi]

It was charming how indecisive this child was. Completely foreign to the world outside. Questioning whether or not Eliza was an adventurer or not, how laughable. She has yet to understand how liberating the adventurer's "Lawless lands" are. A world where you completely unknown. No one cares about your origin or your status, all they care about is your skill and ability. A true equalizing field for everyone. She felt spoiled by it all, compared to her academic settings. Many would bat an eye from her writings purely due to her origins from a poorer district in the metalworking areas. Here, she felt empowered. As if nothing could stop her from accomplishing her dreams.

At the same time, this child was becoming more and more irritable. She was too scared to delve into the new world and live life. It may be something that a few weeks of training would be able to remove. For the child, this may be an obstacle until her later years. But Eliza was not patient enough for that. She already took these requests and dammit she was not going to break her streak for a novice who's too scared to take the first step.

"I guarantee you that I will be able to handle myself. I would hope that I'm a tad sturdier than a rotting wooden notice board." She smirked lightly, "But you are not in a position to decline. This line of work, and any line of work you'll likely encounter will not be one where you can idly stand by and follow orders or decisions. You will be working as your own independent body, and we need to build the strength for you to take initiative. Now."

She repeated her original statement, with greater command.

"Hit me without restraint. I want to see what you're capable of."

[Teki]

Aldreda flinched softly at the black-haired woman’s speech, as small as it was. She was right, she knew that; a long time ago, she dreamed of this sort of thing, the freedom, the strength, the independence... but that wasn’t for her. She was a woman; she was better suited for less dangerous work. Housework. Church work. That was her destiny.

...Right?

The fact that the Stormbringer chose her, of all people, was worrying, but surely He had to have a reason. As... temperamental as the Thunderous Might was, even He had to have some sort of plan for her... why else would He give her such power? Give her the strength and knowledge to fight. She had to use it, right? To not fight would be an insult to Him.

The blonde nodded softly, awkwardly, unsure, but in understanding and agreement nonetheless. That didn’t stop her from very reluctantly closing the distance, each step broadcasting her complete lack of comfort, extremely carefully walking up to the other woman, curling her fingers slowly into a fist....

And tapping her on the nose.

Instantly, Aldreda twisted away, yelling, “Oh Gods I’m so sorry!” Surprisingly, she wasn’t apologizing out of fear of hurting her; even she knew that that tap would barely have disturbed a vase. “G-Give me a moment....” Sighing deeply, she clasped her hands together, praying deeply, fervently. She prayed for a full minute, pleading for bravery, just a little bit, clasping her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white, though her gloves hid that.

To her relief, though, it worked; maybe He took pity on her, maybe praying was just natural for her, but she felt a little better; a little surge of bravery, a small measure of reassurance went through her. Suddenly, she whirled around, letting out a small noise, a very weak, almost humorous attempt at a battle cry, as she aimed her gauntlet-clad fist for the other woman’s head.

She wasn’t using her whole strength, but she was hitting with more force than she ever would have before.

[Koi Koi]

"....Well, that will do." She tilted her head to the side to get a clear view of Aldreda and smiled. Despite the templar's efforts, the punch was effortlessly nullified. Eliza had caught her student's fist with a singular hand. Not that it wasn't anything impressive, any combative mage will have the basic understanding of how to deflect blows by applying an equivalent force opposite to it. Eliza let go of the child's fist and clapped her hands together.

"Then, with that in mind, let's get going on our first job. While we're walking, I want you to focus on your breathing. Breathe in, counting to four, and then breathe out, counting to four. You seem to have a habit of taking in short sharp breaths when you punch or act, so we'll try to unlearn that behavior before you start fighting. It will help you feel less exhausted during strenuous activity.

She demonstrated a few breaths herself before walking back towards the dirt road. This child was certainly blessed by something! A discreet look at her palm would show a severe indentation. Even if she had used a counteractive spell to avoid serious damage, it wasn't enough to fully deflect the blow. All of her motions seemed semi-natural, like her body had a slight knowledge of HOW to do things, just that she herself had no idea WHAT she was doing. Once she would come in sync with herself, Aldreda could become a rather fierce fighter even without any formal fighting training.

The only issue then is, when would this girl have confidence in her own ability?

"By the by, I never did catch a name. I'm Eliza Guignol, just an associate of the Adventurer's Association. Where are you headed after this?"

[Teki]

She barely felt her fist connect; that brief burst of bravery gone halfway through the punch. She winced softly as she kept her fist out, every second feeling like a minute, every minute feeling like an hour as she waited for some sort of reply. Too scared to move, too scared to even open her eyes, she just waited, hoping that she didn’t hurt the woman….

“...Well, that will do.”

Aldreda blinked, peeking an eye open and looking at the other girl, letting out a sigh of relief and letting her shoulders fall. She thanked the gods, whether it was the Stormbringer, the Allfather, or even the Huntress, for letting her avoid harming this woman. She pulled her hand back, idly looking over her gauntleted fist. She still didn’t care for the idea of hurting someone… but then… a lot of the requests tended to do with monsters, right? Those were okay to kill. Monsters didn’t do anything but kill or cause trouble….

She looked back, blinking softly at the rather odd… lesson at the woman gave her. She wasn’t really sure what she was talking about, but she easily submitted, nodding softly and practicing her breathing as she followed. She obviously knew more about the adventuring life than she did…

Aldreda looked back as she spoke up, sighing softly, interrupting her own breathing practice in doing so, looking down sheepishly, trying to smile, but failing somewhat as she replied, “Aldreda Eklund, newly-made cleric of the God of Storms. I...” She paused, looking away and biting her lip gently. She stayed quiet for a moment, but she sighed again, looking back to Eliza. “I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do... If you didn’t come along... I don’t know....”

[Koi Koi]

So she was right, a templar. Odd that she called herself a cleric; the way she dressed and was prepared for battle clearly showed that whatever role she was to take, she was going to be in battle. She seemed to lack any sort of confidence in her own role, not even knowing why she was chosen or what she was to do as one of her god's chosen. Typical of an institution, failing to properly train even their most precious units. Eliza was fortunate that she had met such good mentors during her time at the Academy and then again at the guild. Though now it was her time for her to return the favor... to... herself? What an odd phrase.

"You would find something, or someone," Eliza uncharacteristically reassured, "Everyone comes to learn how to live some way or another. If anything, your god must truly adore you if he has given you a mentor to begin with." She paused and thought about her own beliefs in gods. No, she was never raised in a church, so she couldn't truly begin to understand what it was like to be of faith. She knew her theories of magic, that the gods gave magic unto mankind, and by mankind's arrogance in magic did they sunder the intimate bonds between god and man. Thus now the gods only act through appointed proxies or something. But her field of study was about aboriginal magics, spells that occurred spontaneously, without the touch or need of a god. Did that by nature make her atheist? Perhaps she was thinking too much about it. This storm god, whoever he may be, did not attempt to strike her down, and if what Eliza had humored was true, a god would have decided to choose an atheist to train his disciple. Unlikely, to say the least.

The sun would come down as they began to set foot into the deeper layers of the forest. Clearings would stop and the ground become littered and entangled with roots and wild foliage. The scent of the air became thick and musky, humidity filling the lower layer of the forest. And as the world darkened, the sound of wild animals became obvious to the two's ears. Eliza eventually stopped, kneeling to the ground as she began debriefing her student.

"Our first mission is to scare away wolves that have been attacking livestock. Our goal is to scare them and force them to move their hunting ground away from the village. This is a good first mission, I doubt you would want to be forced to kill for your first job. Give them a good thrashing should they come in close contact, and do not shrivel or crouch away. Stand tall and keep an imposing figure." 

[Teki]

Aldreda fidgeted, nervously fiddling with her fingers as she thought of bad things that could have happened had she been here alone. But, Eliza was quick to dash her worries, making her smile in relief as her worries faded. She did have a point: though she personally doubted whether it was the Stormbringer that had sent her, it was doubtless that someone sent her to aid her in her time of time. A sense of comfort welled up from that, and Aldreda took a moment to close her eyes, thanking whichever god that was so kind to her.

She made it a point to thank the setting sun specifically, stopping their ongoing walk to take just a few minutes to thank it deeply. It was, in part, a habit; she had served the Shining One more than any other. Her church was small, devoted solely to the gods that would be useful to a simple agricultural village, and chief among them was the king of the gods, he of the Sun, Summer, Strength, and Healing. It was, in part, a habit, something that she personally enjoyed doing from time to time, but, in this case, she had a feeling that he was the one to send Eliza, and she would be eternally grateful to him.

As the sun’s light faded entirely, her hope followed suit; even though monsters enjoyed the dark more than the sun, as a worshipper of the Sun Father, she felt just a little more uneasy. Still, despite her worry and fear, she offered a prayer, a reassurance to herself to steel her nerves. “I am strong: just as the Sun lights the world, my inner Sun will banish all darkness and doubt.” She repeat this several times as she followed Eliza through an increasingly thick and and damp atmosphere. All of this sounded too much, but by the All-Father, she would steel her nerves; she had to. It wasn’t like she had a choice in the matter anymore…

She stopped when Eliza did, letting out a sigh sigh of relief, thankful for the short break, not even realizing that she had been holding onto the glaive on her back. She looked over at her tutor, smiling in relief and nodding firmly. “Is that all? I can do scary. I can do scary no problem! I am a cleric of the God of Storms! Intimidation is all but a speciality!”

Aldreda knew it was easier said than done, but she liked the idea more than fighting.