The Sword Mage Without A Path

Chapter 3: Sent To The Forest For Hunting

Three days after going into the market, Fred stood in the Meyer estate's courtyard with his new sword resting at his hip.

It did not take long for Fred to become aware that today's meeting was not about training.

It had not been unusual for his father to call upon him to train in the past.

If anything, the fact that Axel and Alvin were waiting on the other side of the room only made it more likely for him to come.

"Father!" Fred greeted, not expecting his father to be waiting for him. "You wanted to see me?"

"Recently, you spend a lot of time training with that sword," came Alvin's reply just after he gave a single, grave nod towards his son.

Fred turned to look at the sword he bought with his own money.

"Yes," came his blunt response.

"Why?" asked his father.

"Because I want to become stronger," answered his son.

Alvin studied his son for a moment longer.

"And what will you do for your path?"

Fred did not need to answer.

They both understood that he had not found anything in sixteen years, and the second examination was nothing more than proof that there was no magical power within his veins.

Fred shrugged.

"It can't be changed," he muttered.

Alvin sighed.

"I had hoped the second examinations would prove that you were stronger than what all of this was," The older man muttered. "Unfortunately... it didn't work out that way."

There really was no anger towards his offspring, only disappointment.

"If you insist on training yourself to become a swordsman, you need to understand that merely swinging a sword around is not going to cut it," said Alvin.

Fred frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Axel suddenly walked forward with a weapon over his shoulder.

"You're going to go hunting," he informed his younger sibling.

Fred turned to stare at him.

"Hunting?"

"There are monsters in the woods around our estate," explained Alvin. "Even the weakest of the creatures in the outskirt of the forest will be enough to deal with if your enemies aren't as experienced in the art of combat."

Fred looked at the weapon fastened at his side.

"How long?"

Alvin blinked.

"Three days," he said.

Fred gaped.

"Alone?"

"If you must insist on becoming a swordsman," replied the elder Meyer, pointing at the weapon fastened on his waist. "Then, you need to learn how to attack and parry an opponent who won't stay in one place and wait for you to strike. If training dummies and dummy fights have been sufficient training, than you will never be able to actually protect yourself."

Fred understood.

He had been training for so long with only dummy and weapon that he had forgotten combat was not like training in the arena.

Fred inhaled sharply.

"I'll do it."

Alvin nearly raised an eyebrow at the eagerness in his son's voice.

"It will be the last time," Alvin promised. "You are taking enough food and water to last you for three days. Stay in the outer regions and avoid the powerful creatures. If at any point you are faced against an opponent stronger than you, retreat."

"I will," promised Fred, earning another rare smile from Axel.

"You try not to get yourself killed," his older brother teased lightly.

Fred grinned at the man who resembled him the most.

"I won't."

"Good," replied Axel before his smile vanished.

Fred adjusted the weapon at his belt before returning back inside to get ready.

Now, it was time to see how skilled he truly was at the swordsmanship the old-fashioned way.

________________

An hour later, Fred stood before the city's outer gate with the forest stretched out before him.

The tall, thick trees loomed high above the streets, casting shadows over the market and town square.

Even at a distance, one could tell the place was nothing like the city.

Guards watched as the black-clad teen approached, one narrowing his eyes at the weapon at his hip.

"You're heading into the woods alone," stated the guard.

Fred simply nodded.

"You're a mage?" asked the other soldier after taking in the teen's appearance.

"Nope," responded Fred.

The first guard narrowed his eyes.

"What path are you?"

Fred answered a lot quicker than most would have expected.

"I don't have one."

The gateman was visibly surprised that someone as young-looking as the teen before him had no magical affinity whatsoever.

"Nowhere near the center of the woods," warned the second soldier as the gate opened for him. "There are stronger monsters in there."

"I understand," replied Fred while stepping inside the towering forest.

The sounds of the city became distant as he walked farther into the heart of the massive region.

Even the occasional chime of the merchant district faded away as if swallowed by the trees.

Fred felt the hilt of his weapon shift slightly in his grip.

It was the closest thing to combat he had ever faced since leaving home that day.

There would be no teachers and no family waiting in the wings to help him.

If something were to happen, he would have to survive it on his own.

Moving further into the outer woods, Fred was not out for long before the sensation of being watched prickled at the back of his neck.

There was no need to panic, but his instincts urged him to be on guard nonetheless.

He barely had time to prepare before a rustling noise sounded on his left.

A wolf-like creature poked its head out of the shrubs, its murky gray fur blending into the shadows. Yellow eyes zeroed in on the young teen before it growled and crouched low to the ground.

Fred tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword as he prepared to fight the first monster he had ever seen.

The beast sprang forward, and Fred blocked its advance with the flat of his weapon.

He took a step back as he sent a kick into the wolf's stomach, pushing it away from him.

His breath hitched when the creature staggered before steadying itself.

"I... hit it?" he breathed in disbelief.

The wolf snarled in response, and without thinking, Fred had barely managed to get into a defensive stance before it lunged at him again.

He barely had time to react at all when the wolf crashed into his side, sending him flying to the ground in pain.

The moment of impact had caused something in his ribs to twist, and Fred groaned in discomfort.

The beast was already bearing down on him, preparing to strike.

Fred barely had enough time to move out of the way before the predator's fangs scraped across his forehead.

He rolled out of the way just in time, his heart hammering against his ribs.

That was too close.

Fred scrambled back onto his feet, still gripping the hilt of his blade tightly.

The wolf let out a feral snarl before rushing forward at him once more, and this time, Fred was able to step to the side.

The wolf was right on his tail, but Fred twisted his body around and slashed it across its body.

The creature shrieked in pain before falling back, shaking off the sting of the steel.

Fred prepared himself for his opponent to strike again and slashed it once more before the best was dead.

Fred held still to catch his breath, still staring at the wolf before him.

His hands shook as he saw that he'd actually killed it.

In a way, this was a test passed and a lesson completed.

Fred slowly lowered his weapon as he stared at the wolf, realizing what he'd done.

"I actually did it," he muttered before exhaling.

The relief was short lived, as his muscles screamed in protest and his joints ached with the movement.

It was not worth it to stop where he was, not after defeating a real monster that could've killed him just a little while ago.

Fred pulled the straps tighter around his hip before pressing on.

By the time noon had rolled around, he'd faced three more monsters: a wolf with slightly better skill that the former, a ram-like creature with sharp horns that nearly bowled him over, and a little green lizard-like creature that had nearly escaped before Fred slipped on some mud.

Each opponent was no easy fight to face, but he had grown a little stronger after each one.

The battle for survival in the face of the unknown was what had forged men into warriors for thousands of years, and Fred was not about to be the exception.

He finally stopped to take a break, using the weapon he wore as a reminder of the life that he fought for.

It had taken a lot of effort to reach the edge of the forest again, especially while facing foes, and Fred was happy to sit under the shade of a tree and drink from the waterskin attached to his belt.

His muscles were sore and aching all over, and he wiped the sweat from his brow.

Still, there he was, sitting under a tree. The smell of the pine needles surrounded him, and the occasional chirp of birds sounded in his ear.

Fred looked down at the mess of his uniform.

"This is terrible stuff," he muttered before chuckling to himself.

He should've anticipated the fight to be over. His body screamed at him to stop, and his mind easily drifted back to his training.

His every movement was weak compared to the fights he imagined in his mind, his footing was sloppy, and he easily missed the opportunities he had to finish the wolf off.

If the beast had been stronger, he would've been dead.

Fred pushed himself off of the earth before looking back into the depths of the forest beyond.

He could turn around now, back to the city.

He had finished his job, if not in skill then at least in effort, and he could've turned around now and gone home.

It would be easy.

Instead, he buckled the weapon at his waist tighter before pressing on into the trees.

Fred would not give up because it was difficult.

If anything, this journey had made him realize how much work he needed to put in, and he would continue to do so - for days, for weeks, for as long as he had to.

Tomorrow, he would hunt something stronger.