Chapter 57 - Beginning of the Second Volume

It has been a week since the Gang arrived in the Underground Town of Lan Zhe with the 8 large Wagons of food gathered in the Outer Lands of Crutal Kingdom.

The entire town celebrated their arrival and success with a big feast which was now affordable to throw.

it is not easy to hold a feast where over 700 people are included. But Commander Alia made it all possible because of the l.u.s.ty Farmers she was able to manipulate without them getting anything good out of it except for giving huge stock with big discounts and loosing their precious "things."

Since Eric was crowned King before they made their journey to the Outer Lands, it was no longer needed or reasonable for Commander Alia to have any control over the entire town like she did before Eric was crowned King.

That's a job for Eric now but everyone in the Town has a deep respect for Commander Alia and her act will be written down in the history of Lan Zhe. Which is a big honour itself.

She is the King's Second in Command and her word is as respected as Eric's.

Although Woldemir had the 55 Guards under his command for less than 10 days, he sure did help them progress in Combat a lot. Woldemir is sure dedicated to Sword fighting but he also discovered the love of passing his wisdom to many who appreciate the art through these past few days.

The way of the Sword can't be learned in a day, but Woldemir had exercises that could sure help them progress a bit faster than usual.

Not to forget the Calidum Lutum are physically stronger and more endurable. They can handle more long term exercises better than an ignite ever could with an effort that doesn't push them to the limit.

A few of the exercises he made them doo was for two Guards to hold swords against each other. This exercise helps with preparation against if you Sword ever meets another. In these chaotic times they most likely will.

This exercise helps keep a more stable stance, it helps to avoid being overpowered by another Sword, and to avoid another Sword making its way to the defender's body.

It was quite effective as standing still, pushing the Swords against each other with might, helped develop the muscles needed for that specific defense form. It consumed energy a lot though.

To avoid any cuts, through the help of Isabel, Woldemir asked the town's Black Smith to make dull Swords.

It takes a while to make enough for all 55 plus Woldemir, and he still didn't manage to make them all considering that he has his hands occupied with making full body armor for 55 Guards.

But at first he made 10 dull Swords which Guards took turns on using while the rest did other exercises. So there was no time to waste.

Then each day he made 4 more, the amount gradually increasing each day led to better more organized exercises.

Especially considering that each Calidum Lutum needed 12 hours of sleep a day to function normally. They are on average 10 feet tall after all.

So as soon as it was time to train, the Guards started training. Being late would lead to consequences such as doing more exercises while others were given the time to eat.

Which would give the rest of the Guards the sense of order and discipline.

Both order and discipline were needed if 10 of those Guards were to attack a Kingdom.

The Kingdom has roughly 100 Guards after all but an opponent is never to be underestimated.

They need order, they can't be spreading around individually, risking being overpowered by arrows, split in two by a Cannon or fleeing the scene.

After an hour of exercise early in the morning, each Guard would eat a light snack and were permitted to rest for a bit which averagely took 10 minutes. Getting food on their stomach and having a bit of time to catch their breath was effective for better progress.

After that they continued to exercise for 4 hours straight with a minute break in between exercises so they don't pass out.

Woldemir is strict when it comes to learning the way of the Sword. He hates slacking around wasting precious time.

During those 4 hours, the Guards were shown various types of attack forms and defense forms. The defense forms of course had to be done with dull Swords but the attack forms didn't require them as the Guards wouldn't be training it on one another.

One of the attack forms was to stab with the Sword.

To do the attack properly, one would need to get a firm grip on the ground with his feet. It required careful positioning.

The right foot needs to be set forwards first to get a light grip on the ground and with that right foot used to do a biggish leap, while the left foot used to give a bit of an extra boost and the Sword pointed almost Horizontally straight forward, such stab could terminate an opponent. That exercise is to be repeated for an hour straight with no breaks in between. It would take a lot of effort to withstand such long exercises.

Another Defense form would be one Guard holding his Sword above his or her head, the right hand on the Handle and the left hand on the other side of the Sword that isn't sharp of course.

While one Guard will be Holding the Sword like that above the head, the other Guard would attack.

To avoid any accidents, the attacker swung down his sword at a slower lighter pace to see how much the defender is able of withstanding. If the defender can withstand more, the attacker can swing down harder.

A bigger more fulfilling meal followed after such long exercises and of course a bit more time to relax was given.

This break usually took 30 minutes which allowed the Guards to recharge rather well.

Food gives energy, it clears the clouds on one's mind and grants efficiency.