CHAPTER 15: EQUIREL'S TRAINING
Year 2000 AGS Underhaven Calendar
*1 week after the Assembly
KNOCK. KNOCK. The coachman knocked on the carriage.
"Equirel, we are here." Elder Michael told me as we sat together in the same carriage. "You, Equirel Daviyeon, must learn how to manage the household left by your parents. You are the head of your house now. You are to decide on what will be the situation of your Templar and lesser races' vassals since your mother and father had no siblings." Elder Michael told me with his arms crossed. "Don't you worry. I will help you with everything, but I would like you to learn how to lead them as soon as possible, as you need to be an independent and responsible leader." Elder Michael further told me, as I was looking at the estate through the window of the carriage that my mother and father had left me.
Our family, if you do not know, is massively rich. Being a legion commander of a grand legion is not a low status. House Daviyeon, of my father Daniel, is also one of the richest families in Underhaven. If you are wondering why my mother was the one preparing our meal back then, before the Makers' arrival. That is because, in Templar culture, it is the parents, especially the mother, who prepare the family's food. Even if we had thousands of servants working for us.
You might say, 'You have thousands of servants?' Yes, we have, but our residence near the mantle had only Mom and Dad living there because Templar rules state that only Templars may be present near the entrances during the welcoming of the Makers and the Grand Festival. And the other Templar servants were left by my parents at the estate.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Someone knocked on the carriage door, which did not surprise me since it had been a while since the carriage stopped.
"Welcome back home, Master Equirel." Rihel, the head butler of house Daviyeon, an Underhaven Elementalis, told me.
"Yes, thank you, Rihel. Good to see you again." I replied. Rihel looked at me with his saddened eyes. One with light red iris and the other with deep dark blue iris.
Underhaven Elementalis have heterochromic eyes.
"Elder Michael, welcome to the Estate. We, the lesser races' vassals here, are relieved for your acceptance of master Equirel and for the protection with it." Rihel told Elder Michael as he bowed, not looking him in the eye.
"Equirel's parents are heroes. Children of heroes should be treated with respect." Elder Michael stood and began to come out of the carriage.
You might be wondering why, with our technology so advanced, we still ride in carriages? That is because our technology is so advanced that Underhaven was able to genetically modify horses, median creatures, to match the speed of steam vehicles. Plus, they are alive, and you have an additional friend in return. Steam vehicles, on the other hand, are nonliving things. Most importantly, Templar culture favors tradition.
"Rihel, lead us to the training grounds." Elder Michael ordered as his foot landed on the ground, straightening his posture.
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"Equirel, what weapon do you prefer?" Elder Michael asked me as we looked at the armory of weapons on the training grounds.
"You will start as an untrained, lazy civilian child who has never wielded a blade, and now you will be positioned to receive the most elite military and weapon training in Underhaven history. By yours truly and by Elder Abaddel." Elder Michael told me. His 6' 8'' figure, red hair, and golden eyes are so imposing and scary. "Don't mind Natasha and Daniel for not teaching you about weapons. For you were too young and they were right. But now, new threats are rising. You must prepare for the worst. Especially that you are now my disciple."
"Thank you, Elder Michael. Then I would choose a longsword. Your specialty, as Escalon, is a longsword as well." I replied to him.
"Smart choice." Elder Michael told me.
---*
"Now, strike me with all you've got. I will gauge how much training you need." Elder Michael told me. His golden eyes were looking straight at me. I swallowed hard. Raised the longsword with two hands and placed it near my right head. Copying what mom usually does in practice.
I decided to dash using all my leg force and to hit his sword as hard as I could.
The swing was hard since the sword was heavy, but I gritted my teeth and continued.
CLANG! The sword clashed with Elder Michaels' training arming sword. He did not use Escalon.
"Stop!" Elder Michael shouted after he blocked me. "That is enough." He further added.
"Your posture is okay, but it needs refinement. Your body is weak, but your mind is not. We will first train your body and mind before you start using your weapon of choice." Elder Michael told me as he corrected my sword posture and then continued.
"There is what we call the synergy triangle--- Three things. The sun. The body cultivation. The moon. The mind cultivation. Lastly, the energy tiers. The use of magic and martial energy." Elder Michael spoke as he walked a short distance while swinging his sword once on each of his sides. Then he pointed the sword at me. "You will train first the sun, and the moon. The energy tiers will be trained after awakening." He further added.
"…" I stayed silent and nodded at him.
"The moon represents the internal refinement of cognitive processing and focus. The sun represents the structural refinement of the physical frame. You will train these two things to the limit until awakening. That is because a warrior with high Sun and Moon cultivation possesses an exceptionally durable and sharp vessel capable of executing far superior techniques, even if their raw energy tier is modest." Elder Michael explained to me.
"Yes, Elder!" I yelled in reply.
Elder Michael smiled at me.
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*1 month after the Assembly at the Adamantine-Class Airship of the Republic of Saint Cobal.
"Hahaha! I am really impressed by these luxury cruise airships of Domcreans whenever I see them!" Elder Sandalphel commented loudly as he, Elder Abaddel, and Elder Gabriel walked down the hallway towards the Great Hall of the Republic of Saint Cobal's luxury airship, Magnificence. He wore his silver ceremonial dress with bronze linings.
"Is that why you brought your kids here even though I considerably told you not to?" Elder Abaddel replied while looking straight, walking in the hallway. He wore his black ceremonial dress with gold linings.
"C'mon, buddy. We three are here, and we basically brought an army with us." Elder Sandalphel replied, explaining himself to his fellow Elder Templar.
"Abaddel, you should not be that strict on the young ones. They too need experience to learn about this world." Elder Gabriel calmly replied.
"If that was the case, I would have brought that kid, Equirel, with me." Elder Abaddel retorted.
"Well, I would have been happy if Equirel was here! Haha!" Malakel, a kid with red hair, light tan skin, and a tall, big build, commented.
"Sigh… Like father, like son." Elder Abaddel put his palm to his face. "Good thing, you grew up different from your father, Kinrel". He further added that when he looked at the second son of Sandalphel, who also has red hair, light tan skin, a tall and muscular build, and is almost the same height as his father, which is 8 feet tall. "You look the same, but a completely different Templar. Sometimes I wonder if you should have been the Elder Templar rather than your father," Elder Abaddel playfully remarked.
"That's a bad joke, Elder Abaddel. Words can also hurt like knives sometimes, you know." Kinrel replied to Elder Abaddel.
"…My bad, my bad. Sorry, Sandalphel. That was indeed too much. Sorry, brother." Elder Abaddel took back what he said as he shook his head side to side, realizing he had gone overboard. "The appearance of this Soul Element, and Neo-Illumina has made me quite too on edge these recent days."
"I see. No worries. I understand you, brother. Besides, I am used to it by now. You are my brother. You will never sour that relationship. Just relax. I know what you saw on the battlefield that day might have been overwhelming. Gave me goosebumps as well, even though only on the projector." Elder Sandalphel placed his hand forward and moved it side to side. Implying that everything's good.
"How in the heavens have they fooled us into going to the backend areas to focus our forces there?" Elder Abaddel stopped walking as he asked the other Elders. All of them stopped in their tracks. "I also have doubts when I went to the Mantle, but when the sound of battle began at almost the exact time Daniel told me. I instinctively knew that everything would happen exactly as Daniel predicted. As Fate communicated. I already knew that it would be all or nothing. Sacrifices should be made for the future."
"Brother. You did what was needed. Stop blaming yourself." Elder Sandalphel consoled Elder Abaddel.
"It was a heavy loss. It's like they knew our plans. Exactly. To the point." Elder Gabriel replied.
"Might have been the 'enthralled'." Elder Abaddel spoke.
"I don't know as well. Even if there are enthralled among our ranks. Only the Elders, Legion Commanders, and close aides were there whenever we were planning. It can't be that some of them are enthralled. Azrael and Rafael already made an immediate Underhaven sweep and checked, including them." Elder Gabriel replied. His voice was still deep, resonant, steady, and clear, as usual. "I've spoken recently with some defenders of the entrances that survived. They spoke of how their flawless tactical formations were systematically intercepted, as if a silent god was reading their war maps minutes before they deployed." He further added. Elder Gabriel wore a grey-and-blue ceremonial dress uniform of an Elder Templar.
"Then I was lucky that whoever did their planning did not intercept that I was at the Mantle. Good thing I took extreme precautions." Elder Abaddel noted.
"Yes, indeed. If your plan failed. We would have been in bigger trouble." Elder Gabriel agreed.
"Daniel Daviyeon's plan. Not mine. I merely acted with it." Elder Abaddel replied.
"Sigh…" Elder Gabriel replied, feeling the heavy loss among the Templars. "Anyway, let's continue to the Great Hall. I bet all of them are expecting us." He gestured with his hands for all of them to proceed.
"Are the sacred light ready?" Elder Sandalphel suddenly spoke. His eyes serious. This time without any hint of messing around.
"Yes, they are." Elder Gabriel replied firmly.
Elder Sandalphel then nodded in response, and then they continued walking.
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*End of Chapter.