rhythmically thrusting, trying to both throw him off and entice him at the same time. Like that would distract him in a fight? After a while he actually managed to get a few good shots in to the face plate when Kolb called an end to the exercise.
“Kind of pitiful Tor. Your conditioning is all but gone, and you’re far too little to give that away against an attacker. Everyone is. Tomorrow same time, unless you have a major build planned?”
Tor, gasping for breath, shook his head.
“No, sir, just some light copy work. I’ll be here.” Tor was just glad that no one had hit him in the groin this time.
“Good enough. I may have a project idea or two soon, but not until you’re in better shape retucally.”
Dismissed, they all walked back towards the hut, so that they could grab showers and clean clothes for the rest of the day. Tor was already sore, which was probably his just due, for failing to make himself stay in better shape. It was a process he knew, that had a frequent toll, in work. Stop paying and it goes away. He hobbled as best he could, trying to keep up with the others. Ursala stared at him, then looked at the others, even turning around to see if Kolb was still watching as they walked through the door that had been cut in the smooth black stone. Once through she stopped them all by raising her right hand in front of the group.
“Wait… did they just…” she looked at Rolph first, but then started at Sara. “I mean, what was that? That’s not normal at all, even for hardened warriors. Do they train like that?” She asked, sounding exasperated suddenly.
Rolph seemed baffled, but Sara got it and nodded, “Yeah. It’s the way Tor’s been trained for years too. Here watch this; Tor, out of the four of us, who do you thinks the best fighter?”
What? That was an odd question to ask. He had to get her to clarify what the parameters were, just who would win a fight? Armed or unarmed? Shields, armor, or street clothes? There were a thousand variables to consider.
She told him to consider just a straight up fight, no shields, no weapons, no mental tricks, just body against body.
“Rolph.” Tor said instantly, not even having to stop and think about it. “Skill counts, but he’s a giant compared to the rest of us, and he has a lot of training. That’s provided he’s willing to hurt us of course, which normally wouldn’t happen, but presuming an actual, anything goes fight, it would be him almost every time.”
It was probably true Sara allowed, nodding gently. Then she asked who had the greatest skill level, again making him think it was a trick.
“Um, not to be mean to Rolph, or you Ursala, you’re both really good, but Sara probably. Those special school kids are all good…”
Sara waved at Tor sharply and turned back to the Countess.
“Like that. He has no clue. Tor thinks I’m good because the one time we practiced together I “won” more often than he did. This was right after Kolb had him run fifteen or sixteen miles. Even then he had to be alternated between Trice and I without a break and he still almost took out Trice in the first fifteen seconds. She was totally not ready for him. Hitting him is a bit like slapping a piece of oak. It most often hurts you more than the wood. You can damage it if you try hard enough, but unless you destroy it, it almost doesn’t matter. He just keeps coming at you.”
What, Tor wondered, were they talking about? He had to run, because he was too little and weak to do anything else. If anyone ever caught him, he’d probably be all out of breath and exhausted, so he had to practice that way most often. Kolb had told him that early on. It made sense, didn’t it?
Rolph nodded with a grin.
“Oh, yeah, it makes sense Tor. No one does it, except for some of those people back there and you, but it does make perfect and total sense. If you’re training someone to fight against massive unknown threats, it’s a great method. Given everything, you should probably practice harder though. Kolb’s right. Your conditioning sucks right now.”
Sara agreed and started walking again, leaving Ursala standing next to Tor, muttering, “but…”
Grinning Rolph just shrugged.
“Look Ursa, it’s just true. We’re at war, and if Tor isn’t a prime target of our enemies, then they’re too stupid to involve themselves in a battle at all. We can’t afford to have soft stick man Tor waiting for them to come kill on a whim with a perfumed pillow. We need warrior Tor to come out and play now, or their going to take him from us, and then what will we do for entertainment?”
The large woman sighed and started walking. It kind of made sense once it was said out loud. Tor really had a lot of work to do. Maybe more than he could do? The idea frightened him a little, because there was never enough time. He had to make the time somehow.
That and pay attention to the things that were important. What was important to him though” Tor wondered as he walked, muscles tightening already.
Gold?
That was certainly useful, but it was a tool, a device like anything he made, a way to get things done. Women? Tor knew that he certainly liked them and he could feel how alluring the whole system that the nobles had could be. Not that being a part of that would really get him any attention from the ladies. Maybe. But that was something he’d given up on already, a long time before. Anything he found himself falling into now was a gift in that department.
His family?
Yeah, he cared about them. The other people in Two Bends too. His friends. Those were the important things. The rest was nice maybe, but those things, his family and his friends, that’s what he was really about. Then maybe… helping people, even if he didn’t know them?
There were, he reflected as he hobbled towards home, worse things that he could be, than a person that worked to help other people. For a while there, after Trice, he’d lost that. That sense that it wasn’t just OK, and not stupid to care about other people, but good.
Was it all right for him to not hate Trice now then?
She’d hurt his feelings, but if she’d really done it to try and find the person or people that had tried to kill him and even now was in danger, trying to do the same thing to help her own parents and maybe even help him, did that matter? Did his feelings matter past trying his best to love people and be a good person? Nothing good had ever really come of his being a jerk. Death weapons, threats and… no, that was about it. Maybe some pain for other people. Disappointment.
It occurred to him then, as he walked, that the last person he’d fought with back there had been really familiar. After thinking for a few seconds he got it, the sense of presence clicking into place between one breath and the next.
Trice.
Face mask or no, he recognized the body, the fighting style. The way she’d scooted under him as if trying to be provocative, even though he always ignored that kind of thing. It kind of surprised him that it had taken him that long to realize it. Heh. Interesting. A bit slow of him.
“So, um, did anyone else notice that Trice was back there?” Tor asked, not really concerned. If Patricia Morgan wanted to be there, then she could be. If she wanted to be friends, he would, and if she wanted to kill him that badly for some reason… he’d let her.
He’d trusted Wensa enough that he let her have an open and free chance to kill him and she declined. Did he really trust Trice any less? An hour ago the answer would have been a simple yes, now… It felt more complicated for some reason, and less. She was his friend, even if he wasn’t hers. That was all. From now on he was going to remember that. It was, simply put, who he wanted to be, if he got to pick at all. A person that was there for other people, no matter what.
He chuckled a bit as everyone stopped to stare at him.
“Well, it would normally make sending that box to her easier, but I guess it has to go through channels still. It probably wouldn’t look good to the Wards or whoever if she came back with a box of goodies and love notes from her friend Tor’s house, would it? “Oh, my yes, I hate him so, but look at the prezzies!” I don’t think anyone would fall for that.”
Sara looked straight ahead and started walking again, but Rolph just shrugged.
“Yeah, um, she’s been here for a while, off and on. It’s where she’s been staying for the last few week, hiding
