The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage

WM [38] Clearly Unimpressed

Bjorn didn’t expect the wifwolf to actually be a part of the training that night. He could literally taste her fear when they arrived in her room. Tanisha didn’t seem bothered by her; she had already fully accepted whatever decision Joha made in regards to Adelheid. Tanisha really didn’t trust her decision making in regards to others lives at the moment which was a big concern for Bjorn.

“Do you think being a True has also affected my mind, like Tanisha going from a normal to a greater?” Bjorn asked in his mind. “It would make sense, right? I was a Greater Human in my last life, and now I am a True Hydra.”

“I think you would have changed more going from being a human to a hydra if anything.” Failsafe said. “I think being a True helped you cope with your new form far better than most would have. Instead of freaking out you just accepted that you are this now.”

“Hmm, well it isn’t like I had any memory of my previous life when I was born? Hatched? Whatever, when I opened my eyes as a Hydra. The only thing I remembered was my death and had a vague recollection that I was in a different body. Not really much to freak out about.”

“Well, I have a theory about why that is now that we know for a fact that you are a True. You should have been hatched in a Higher Plane that would have granted you the power of that plane much like how people here have mana while demons have maya, which is a tether back to their home Plane. You didn’t have that tether so the power that you would have had was severed. I think you would have been born at level two hundred or more if you did have that connection.”

 “Wait what? I would have been born at that level? That would have made me–” 

“Closer to Joha in power at birth. You would have been able to kill Thyra in our first encounter easily and put Loki on the back foot. I am pretty sure we could resist some of Ingrid’s magic at that state but she would have still been stronger than us magically.”

“That would have been… different. We wouldn’t be here though, that would have required that I was born wherever Hydra’s are from.”

“I wonder if you have any siblings that were born in a clutch or something. What does a True Hydra nest look like? Do you think she put each egg in an individual golden egg cup in, like, a nursery or something? I can’t see an eldritch being named, Queen of A Thousand Heads, just scrounging up hay and leaves from the surrounding area. Speaking of, who is your dad?”

“I actually don’t know what his title or name is… maybe it is King of A Thousand Heads or maybe he doesn't have that many heads… hmm.”

He looked at the young woman as she put on her shoes in preparation for training. Joha had given her a new uniform after she started learning the second form. She tied her long hair up into a tight bun to keep it out of her face. After her transformation into a cernunnos she gained the toned body of someone with years of disciplined practice in her martial arts. Her daily training served to emphasize what the transformation started, making the changes her own.

She wore what Joha called a traditional Kacham, the white garment tied securely around her waist and falling to her knees. The fabric was slightly loose, allowing her the freedom to move with the fluid grace needed in VritraVajra. The edges of the Kacham were bordered with a vibrant red, matching the blouse that clung to her form.

The blouse was fitted, short-sleeved, and cut just above her midriff, its red hue deep and bold against her brown skin. The simplicity of the outfit highlighted her athletic frame, leaving her arms and much of her torso bare, allowing for full mobility in combat. Her tail swayed back and forth as she tapped her heel securing her shoe on her foot.

“Let's go, Big Man.” Tanisha said.

***

Due to the town’s strict curfew, Joha and Tanisha were forced to take their combat training to the roof of the inn, where they could spar without drawing the attention of the town guards. Bjorn, sitting on the sidelines, watched the match unfold with his three heads swiveling between the two fighters. To his surprise Adelheid appeared, and quietly sat at the edge of the roof to watch as well. She was still extremely cautious, and he noticed her eyes would occasionally flick over to him. He guessed she wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to suddenly attack her.

Neither combatant used their various magic abilities and instead relied on pure pugilistic combat. Joha had made it clear that this was going to be a more difficult lesson than usual. He had babied her too much and would be correcting his teaching so she would be able to face the difficult challenges she has placed on herself. Bjorn understood the events of the past few days were a reality check for everyone including Joha. They had gotten too complacent when there were dangers that neither Bjorn or Tanisha were ready to face.

“Watch your footing there,” Joha said as he flipped Tanisha to the ground. “Up. Again.”

Tanisha groaned and spit blood before she stood up breathlessly. “Ready.”

The focus of the session was on blending the second and third forms which Tanisha had a difficult time doing. Joha was relentless, punishing every misstep with a decisive kick, a sharp punch, or a quick grapple that left her gasping for breath. Bjorn felt the frustration building in her through the bond, each of her attempts to land a blow was met with a swift counter that left her reeling. Joha was simply too much for her, he seemed to move in a way that made him always two steps ahead. It was as if he was predicting Tanisha’s every move before she even made it.

Tanisha’s movements, though well-practiced, were still rough around the edges, requiring multiple motions to execute what Joha accomplished in one. Every time she tried to blend the forms, it was as if Joha saw right through her, exploiting every opening she left behind. Because of the punishment she was taking, even Bjorn started to see the pattern when Tanisha shifted in a way that left her vulnerable. The more frustrated she became, the more mistakes she made, and Joha was merciless in exploiting them. At one point Tanisha was punched in the stomach and fell to her knees coughing.

“Celestial Planes,” Adelheid said with a wince. “She does this every night?”

“Get up,” Joha roared. “Or is this where you are going to give up? It’s easy to just stay down, to just give up. What happens next time assassins come after you or Bjorn and I am not there to save you? What happens when someone else puts a suppression collar on you, or a skinwalker attacks you? Are you going to give up then?”

Tanisha cursed and rose back to her feet. Meeting Joha’s gaze with a terrifying glare of her own.

“Good. Now breathe. Maya is breath, center yourself and let's continue.” Joha said.

The match went on as Tanisha reached a boiling point as she lunged at Joha with a desperate flurry of strikes, but it was no use. When she tried to close the distance with fists, knees and elbows, he would pivot smoothly, using her momentum against her with the second form. When she attempted to attack from a distance with kicks, he closed in with a speed that left her scrambling to defend. Joha sidestepped her attacks with ease and countered again this time with a swift jab to her ribs that doubled her over in pain again. 

Bjorn could see that Tanisha had come a long way since the start of their journey, however, in comparison to her master she might as well have just started yesterday. There was a lull in the cool night air as Joha let Tanisha catch her breath this time. Bjorn moved to comfort her but stopped when Joha held a hand up to stop him. He had half a mind to check on her anyway but when Tanisha saw him she shook her head.

“You’re relying too much on brute force,” Joha said, as he stood over her. “That’s not what will make you stronger.”

“Then what will?” Tanisha asked. 

“Control. Patience. Precision. You’re trying to force the forms together, but they’re meant to flow.” Joha said, his expression unreadable. “Right now, you’re fighting yourself as much as you’re fighting me. You are afraid because of what happened with Sabec. I can see it in the way you are flailing your arms and legs like I haven’t taught you anything.”

Tanisha held her side as she stood up, still unable to stand fully upright. The Marks of Seiðr on her body flared to life, the glowing magic circles inundating her body with power. Her eyes never left Joha’s gaze as she forced herself to fully stand. Her chest rising and falling rapidly with her shaky breath as she refused to show pain.

There was a long pause, the only sound being Tanisha’s exhausted breaths. The light from the tattoos across Tanisha’s body faded. Joha motioned to Bjorn that he could go to her, and she let Bjorn nuzzle against her. Finally, Joha turned his gaze to Adelheid, who had been watching the scene unfold in silence.

“Adelheid,” Joha said quietly. “Glad that you could join us, I hope you learned something, but it’s time you go back to your room.”

With a slight nod, the wifwolf turned and silently left the rooftop, disappearing into the shadows.

“I can keep going.” Tanisha said.

“I am sure you can.” Joha said with a slight smirk. “Drink a health potion and we will go over your knife fighting technique.” 

“Bjorn, thanks I got this.” Tanisha said as she petted him.

Tanisha drank a potion from her inventory and took out her two daggers. She let out a deep breath as she lowered into a stance, her eyes narrowing as she focused on Joha. They both stood still for a moment,Then, with a burst of speed, Tanisha bolted toward Joha, daggers poised to strike. As she was about to close the distance, the door to the roof flung open with a loud crash.

“What in the name of the Divines are you all doing up here?” A female’s voice followed.

Tanisha nearly tripped over her own feet as she skidded to a halt, turning to see the inn owner's wife standing in the doorway, her hands planted firmly on her hips. The woodentail wendigo woman looked like she was ready to tear into them with a motherly fury. The group looked like they were just caught with their hands in the pantry as they relaxed their stances.

“Oh, it’s you three again?” She huffed, exasperation evident in her tone. “Please, come inside! People are trying to sleep, and the roof is off limits.”

Tanisha sheepishly lowered her daggers, glancing over at Joha, who offered her an amused shrug.

“Sorry about that,” Joha said, “We’ll keep it down.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, clearly unimpressed. “You’d better. If I have to come up here again, you’ll be sleeping on the street. Now get inside.”

Tanisha couldn’t help but laugh as she slipped her daggers back into her inventory. The inn proprietress looked at Bjorn and petted his heads gently. Then with a final glare directed toward Joha and Tanisha she led everyone back inside. The sound of the door closing behind them echoed in the now-quiet night.