Chapter 38
1 year later………….
"Vasileios, your stance should be like this," Draco instructed, demonstrating the proper positioning of his younger brother's feet and the angle of his shield.
"Keep your center of gravity low and your weight balanced. That way, you'll be able to withstand more heavy blows and counter-attack effectively," he said.
Vasileios nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration as he adjusted his stance according to Draco's guidance.
"Like this?" he asked, shifting his weight and angling his shield.
Draco studied his brother's form carefully, then nodded approvingly.
"Yes, that's much better. Remember to keep your eyes focused on your opponent and be ready to react quickly," he advised.
Nearby, Clair was practicing her spear techniques, the muscles in her arms flexing as she thrust the weapon forward with precision.
"Hiyah!" she cried, pivoting on her heel and whirling the spear in a defensive arc.
Eleni, standing off to the side, watched her movements with a critical eye.
"Your footwork is a little sloppy, Clair-nee," she observed.
"Try to keep your balance centered, and don't over-commit to your strikes," she advised.
Clair paused, wiping the sweat from her brow, and nodded.
"Right, got it. Let me try that again," she replied.
She had asked Eleni to watch her form to help correct it.
As the siblings continued their training, Draco couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
It had been a year since their family passed away, and in that time, they had all grown and matured considerably.
Each of them had chosen a distinct path, honing their skills in their respective areas of focus, and Draco was impressed by the progress they had made.
Michalis, with his twin daggers, darted around the training area, his movements a blur as he practiced his evasive maneuvers.
Dimitra, bow in hand, was taking careful aim at a series of targets, her arrows finding their mark with unerring precision.
Vasiliki, her expression focused as she practiced moulding mind for her spells.
She had been learning Draco’s method of spell casting but it was proving to be quite difficult.
Nikolaos, wielding his massive two-handed hammer, brought the weapon crashing down onto a wooden target, the impact sending tremors through the ground.
Draco watched it all with a keen eye, offering occasional guidance and feedback.
He knew that the challenges they would face in Orario would be immense, but he also believed in their abilities.
They had come so far, and he was confident that they would be ready.
After the training session, Draco gathered his siblings together.
"Alright, everyone," he began, his voice authoritative yet warm.
"Time for your next assignment," he said.
The group listened attentively, their eyes shining with anticipation.
Draco's tasks were always challenging, but they knew that they were essential for their continued growth and preparation.
"As you all know, we'll be heading to Orario in 3 years," Draco continued.
"But before that happens, I want to make sure you're all begin getting comfortable hunting and dealing with monsters of the wild in groups, so no solo hunting this time," Draco said.
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the assembled group.
"So, your task for today is to venture into the forest and bring back edible prey, as well as the parts of at least three different monsters. The first group back with the required haul gets an extra helping of my special grilled meat and herbs for dinner," he announced.
A chorus of excited murmurs rippled through the group, and Draco couldn't help but smile.
“Yay, we get to hunt and carve something up today" Vasileios exclaimed excitedly.
‘Wait what ?, that doesn’t sound right, and why do they look happy to hunt monsters ?. Weren't they excited about my special meal or am I imagining things ?. Did I make a mistake somewhere along the way raising them ?’ Draco pondered briefly, but threw the question at the back of his mind.
"Remember, work as a team, watch each other's backs, and don't take any unnecessary risks. I expect you all back before sunset. Now, go," he said.
The siblings didn't need to be told twice. In a flurry of movement, they scattered, disappearing into the dense forest in search of their prey.
He wasn’t worried much about their safety as they had been living in the wild for a bit over a year now.
Everyone knew what monsters and wildlife resided in each part of the forest; he made sure to drill that into their heads.
Additionally, they had been going on individual hunts for a while now, so they knew their way around.
Eleni and Nikolaos paired up, their heavy and light weapon combination made them a formidable duo, just like Anita and John were.
"Let's start with the bigger game," Nikolaos suggested, his grip tightening on his hammer.
Eleni nodded, her sword already drawn. "Agreed. Those battle boars over there look promising," she suggested.
They moved swiftly but quietly, their footsteps muffled by the thick undergrowth.
As they approached the grazing boars, Nikolaos raised his hammer, his muscles rippling with the effort.
"On my mark," he whispered.
Eleni tensed, her sword at the ready.
"Mark," Nikolaos said, and brought the hammer crashing down with a thunderous impact.
The battle boars scattered in a panic, but one was not quick enough, and it fell to the ground, its neck broken and a leg joint cut.
"Nicely done," Eleni said, already moving to field-dress the animal.
"Now, let's see what else we can find," she muttered.
Nearby, Michalis and Dimitra were working in tandem, the former using his agility to flush out smaller prey while the latter picked them off with her arrows.
"There's a rabbit!" Michalis called out, his daggers flashing as he darted after the fleeing animal.
Dimitra took aim, her bow drawn taut. "Got it!" she exclaimed, her arrow finding its mark.
The rabbit tumbled to the ground, and Michalis quickly retrieved it.
"Nice shot," he said, grinning at his sister.
"That's one down. Now, let's see what kind of monsters we can find," she replied.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the siblings gradually returned to the camp, their hauls varying in size and difficulty.
Vasiliki and Clair, working together, had managed to bring down a particularly troublesome goblin group, their harvested parts still dripping with blood.
"That was tougher than I expected," Clair admitted, wiping the sweat from her brow.
"But we made it work," she said.
Vasiliki nodded in agreement, her hand clutching onto a small dagger.
She didn’t have a magic staff yet, so she made do with her side weapon for now and cast spells without mediums.
"Your distraction maneuver was crucial. I don't think I could have gotten them all with that spell," Vasiliki replied.
Draco greeted each of his siblings as they arrived, examining their spoils with a critical eye.
"Excellent work, everyone, not bad for the first haul," he said, his tone filled with pride.
"I can see you've all been practicing hard," he praised.
He turned to Vasileios, who had returned with a modest haul of small game and a single monster part.
"Well done, Vasileios. I'm impressed by your tenacity, but why did you not team up with anyone?" Draco asked.
Vasileios slumped his shoulders a bit embarrassed to explain why.
"Uhm, everyone had already formed groups and left without me," Vasileios hesitantly replied.
‘Ah, that’s kind of embarrassing. There are seven of them, so I should have known one would be left behind, but I never specified that they made groups of two,’ Draco thought.
Draco nodded, clapping his younger brother on the shoulder.
“Ahem, don’t mind,” Draco said, the others just looked away feeling a bit bad for leaving Vasileios behind.
The siblings soon gathered around the campfire, Draco set to work on his special grilled meat and herbs, the savory aroma wafting through the air.
"Alright, who's the lucky winner?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
The group erupted into good-natured banter, each sibling vying for the coveted extra helping.
Draco listened, his heart swelling with affection for his family.
Things had been rough in the beginning and everyone was a bit emotionally unstable but they managed to endure the entire year.
They had come so far, and he knew that they would soon be ready to take on the world.
As the night wore on and the siblings retired to their tents, Draco lingered by the dying embers of the fire, his gaze turned towards the distant horizon.
"Orario," he murmured, "we're coming for you."