Nicole spent most of the next day following a routine: collecting Goldmanes from the kids—who brought even more than yesterday—baking flatbreads, and gathering materials for soap-making.
When she finished, she grabbed her spear and headed out.
With how limited my time is, I just need to master the basics. Honestly, I should probably find a teacher, but most of them are either hunters who stay in the forest all day or guards. And judging by Terl… something tells me they’d only accept payment in the form of my body. And I still prefer to choose my own partners.
Nicole arrived at the guard training grounds and stopped by the small fence surrounding it. Only one pair of natives were sparring with spears. The others were either used their claws or were occupied with physical training.
The spear fighters were an older man and a middle-aged woman, both clad in pieces of leather armor. Their movements were fast—they darted toward each other, trading blows, then leapt back to a safe distance.
Holding her spear with both hands, Nicole watched the pair, trying to mimic their moves. Without a partner, it felt awkward, but after some time, she began to notice patterns in their strikes.
Hmm, in a few of the animes Annie made me watch, I remember characters training with swords by just repeating the same basic moves over and over.
She stopped watching the sparring match and focused on repeating a simple forward thrust.
1, 2, 3, 4…
...222, 223, 224…
Fuck, my… ah… arms are going to die. Just a bit more…
...246, 247, 248, 249, 2-fucking-50.
As she hit 250 repetitions, her mind involuntarily relaxed—and the spear slipped from her hands. She didn’t bother picking it up, instead slumping to the ground beside it, back resting against the fence.
Her arms felt like they were made of steel, her throat was dry, and her lungs burned. Sweat coated her body, and her hair was soaked.
Holy hell, I didn’t expect it to be that exhausting!
She rested for a few minutes.
"Hey, you good?"
A sudden voice startled her. Nicole looked up and saw the same Torakai woman she'd been trying to copy earlier. The woman leaned casually on the fence, looking down at her. She had wavy, dark brown hair, and up close, Nicole noticed several faint scars on her face.
"Y-yeah, I guess. Looks like I underestimated how tiring this would be."
The woman chuckled as she easily jumped over the small fence and sat down next to Nicole.
"I’m Morilia. And you’re Nicole—I know. Our strange guest."
Her hazel eyes studied Nicole as she continued.
"Your body shows signs of combat experience, yet I saw the way you trained—if you can call that training."
"Yep, I, uh, trained in martial arts for about three years. But it looks like fists alone won’t cut it here. By the way, you didn’t just come to laugh at me, right? You don’t seem like the type."
"Right. I came to see if you’re good enough to train."
Nicole raised an eyebrow.
"Good enough? And how are you going to test that?"
Morilia smirked.
"Easy. Fight me. If you pass, I’ll train you. And then, I want you to beat the shit out of Dellas."
"Wait, you know about our duel?"
"Of course! Half the village does. That guy’s been bragging everywhere that he’ll crush you. So yeah, people are talking. Now come on, get up."
"You’re kidding. Right now?"
Despite her exhaustion, Nicole stood up. The two entered the training grounds and faced off.
"Not going to use your spear? You looked pretty cool with it." Nicole said.
Morilia grinned. "Wouldn’t be fair. I want to see your hand-to-hand skills—not poke a few new holes in you. Start when you’re ready."
They took their stances, and Nicole rushed in with two punches aimed at Morilia’s ribs. She managed to block Morilia’s returning punch but still took the hit on her arm.
Nicole tried to back off, but Morilia grabbed her left arm. In response, Nicole landed a few punches to her face, then kicked her in the torso, breaking free and gaining distance.
Morilia gave her no time to recover. She lunged forward, landing several hits. The fight continued for another minute before she swept Nicole’s legs out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground.
"Hm, that’s it? Come on, I expected more. Let’s go again."
Groaning, Nicole stood and fought again. Then again. And again. By the fourth round, her body refused to rise.
Morilia sat beside her.
"Good. That’s at least something to work with. Most don’t even make it to the third round."
"What do you mean good? You’re way stronger than me."
"Of course I am. I’m one of the strongest in the village guards. You weren’t supposed to win—I just needed to see your limits and your will to keep fighting."
"So… I passed?"
Morilia nodded.
"Come back tomorrow, around the same time. We’ll start proper training."
Nicole slowly stood. Her body ached even more than yesterday, and dust clung to her sweaty skin.
"But wait, if you’re that strong, why use a spear and not your claws? Aren’t those more powerful, especially with the elemental stuff?"
Morilia smiled.
"Obviously, when you're strong enough, it’s better to save the deadliest tools for real threats. During training or casual fights, spears are enough. Besides… I haven’t ascended yet, so I’ve only got regular claws."
"Huh? Why not ascend? Isn’t it best to do that as fast as possble?"
"It’s… complicated. You need a special mix of ingredients to even begin the process. But more importantly, your body has to be strong enough. If you’re not prepared, well... you either die or turn into a mindless monster. And I just don’t feel ready yet."
Of course. Wouldn’t be fun if it was just about gathering ingredients.
On her way home, Nicole stopped at the beach to wash off the sweat and dust. By the time she returned, it was evening. She collapsed onto her bed, too tired for anything else.
I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse.
She had barely closed her eyes when someone knocked on the door.
For fuck’s sake. I swear, I’m going to kill whoever it is.
She opened it to see the same group of kids from earlier that day.
"Hey, Nicole. Uh, we came by earlier, but you weren’t here. Can we get our promised flatbreads?"
Oh, right. I forgot about those.
Nicole handed out the flatbreads as quickly as possible. Then she flopped back onto her bed but sleep didn’t come.
Restless and bored, she picked up the AI pen.
Annie said this was supposed to help to analyze chemical substances. Let’s see how it works.
Nicole walked to the table where the remnants of her first batch of soap sat in a pot. She placed one tip of the pen into the mixture.
"Hey, Tora, analyze this."
The pen beeped. After a minute, it responded:
"Analysis complete. This substance is composed primarily of unknown ingredients. However, its structure resembles that of a soap. Conclusion: likely a liquid soap."
Unknown ingredients, huh? I guess I’ll have to write my own Wikipedia.
Nicole began documenting everything she’d learned so far about the island and its inhabitants.
As she was finishing, Soi came in, carrying a large piece of animal fat.
"Heyyy, Nicole! Took a while, but here it is. Hope it’ll enough for now."
Nicole took the fat, chopped it with Soi’s knife, and placed the pieces into a pot.
Okay, tomorrow I will just need to make lye water, melt the fat, and mix.
As usual, the girls ended the day with their strange white tea.
"Hey, you said those tea leaves are rare, right? But we drink it every day."
"Well, they’re tricky to find, but they grow in large bushes. So don’t worry."
The rest of the evening passed quietly. The next day, after her usual flatbread routine, Nicole came to the training grounds. Morilia was sparring with the same man as yesterday and Nicole warmed up while she waited.
When Morilia finished, she approached, casually spinning her spear in one hand.
"You actually showed up. Good. Ready?"
"Well, can’t turn down free training, right? Let’s go."
"Then show me what you’ve got. Do a few spear thrusts, like yesterday."
Nicole complied. Morilia watched and sighed.
"As expected—you’re doing everything wrong. Look at me."
She demonstrated a slow thrust.
"See the difference?"
"Uh… yours looks cooler?"
"No, you dumbass. I mean—yes—but that’s not the point. You’re only using your arms. I use my whole body. It makes the attack stronger and keeps your body in motion, making you harder to hit. Right now, you look like a tree when you strike."
Nicole nodded. "Okay, yeah, that makes sense."
"Now repeat after me."
Morilia repeated the motion, and Nicole mimicked it, paying attention to the movement of her body.
"That’s a bit better."
For the next half-hour, Nicole worked on the basic spear thrust.
"Alright, good enough. Next—vertical and horizontal slashes."
Morilia demonstrated again, and Nicole repeated the motions until they looked solid.
Then Morilia stood across from her.
"Now try to hit me. Don’t worry, it’d be a miracle if you could."
Nicole launched a few thrusts—which Morilia blocked or dodged. Next she began mixing slashes and thrusts, speeding up as she gained confidence.
But then Morilia bopped her on the head with the blunt end of her spear.
"Ow! What was that for?"
Morilia smirked.
"One: you stopped moving your body and turned into a tree again. Two: to cool you down. Forget about the speed for now. Focus on doing it right."
"Alright, alright…"
And it was just starting to be fun.
They continued on until sunset.
"Not bad for a start." Morilia said. "Good thing you’re already in shape—we can skip physical conditioning. Go rest. We will continue tomorrow."
"Thanks for your time and help."
As Nicole walked home, a smile crept onto her face. Her body ached, but it was a good ache.
Heh, reminds me about old days with Krav Maga. It was the same when I started. And the pain definitely paid off, with how many jerks I got rid off with it.
When she reached home, the smell of the white tea greeted her. Inside, Soi was already sipping hers.
"Nicole! I was wondering how long your training would take. I gave the flatbreads to the kids like you asked."
Nicole sat down and poured herself some tea.
"Thanks, Soi. Did you hand out the extra ones too?"
"Of course. Though I don’t get it—you said your inventions are valuable, and now you're giving stuff away for free?"
"It’s called a free sample. Makes me look better. Wouldn’t you like someone who gave you free stuff?"
"So that’s your strategy for making people like you?"
"Something like that."
"That’s smart. I hope everyone in the village ends up liking you." Soi blushed. "Changing topics… how do you like your trainer?"
"Morilia? She’s nice, I guess? I’ve only met her twice, and we mostly talked training. Why?"
Soi hesitated, biting her lip.
"I… really like her. I almost chose guard training just to get closer. You’re… where I wish I was years ago."
"Ha! That’s unexpected. I mean, she looks good and seems cool… Want me to introduce you?"
Soi smiled faintly. "No need. We know each other… sort of. I’ve just never had the courage to approach her."
"Why not? You don’t strike me as shy."
"Well, usually I’m not. But after thinking about her for years… it’s different."
Nicole shrugged.
"Do what feels right. And if you need help, just say the word."