Corrin darted to the right, kicking up a flurry of snow from the force of his movement as Wyn's blade passed to his left.

He'd overshot a bit, but he adjusted quickly, changing directions almost instantly, an impossible movement without mana. He thrust towards Wyn's chest, but his friend knocked the blade aside and stepped inside his guard, responding with a thrust of his own.

Corrin's arm was wreathed in ash though, and he batted the strike aside with his forearm, creating an opening that Wyn was unable to close.

His blade tapped lightly against Wyn's shoulder, signaling his win.

"Yeah, I think I like this style," Corrin noted as they began their cooldown stretches. He'd begun experimenting with a new style of fighting in which he kept the bulk of his mantle in his arms. Rather than trying to shift mana around his body to defend, he could keep it concentrated in his off-hand, and use it like a parrying dagger.

"It suits you," Wyn agreed. "Though I don't see why you wouldn't just use a dagger instead."

Corrin flexed his fingers, inspecting his hand. "With mana, there's not really a huge difference besides the limited reach, but keeping my hand free increases my options. Plus, Tor—" he spit on the ground, "—mentioned using hand-signs in more advanced techniques, so I'm trying to plan with that in mind. But it's just a test, if it doesn't work, I'll try something else."

Corrin shed ideas like a dog shed fur, he had no problems tearing himself down and rebuilding himself as much as it took. Even now, he was growing closer and closer to a complete mantle. He could cover his body from his feet all the way up to his lower chest now, even if only thinly. Of course, that didn't include the mana needed for his sword-technique, but it was promising.

"How are things going with your channels?"

Wyn shrugged. "My major core channels are half finished, then it's arms and head before moving on to minor channels. If I had to guess, I'm still a few months out from a complete set of channels."

Corrin nodded. From what they'd gathered, Wyn's pace was exceedingly quick thanks to spirit fire, which made any training he did far more efficient.

The sounds of someone trudging through the snow caught his attention though, and he turned away from Wyn towards their other companion.

Kei was gasping for air as she approached, having apparently completed her run. "I…hate…you…" she managed as she approached, her face flushed with exertion.

"Hey, that was quicker than before," Wyn noted. "Nice work."

"Water…" Kei groaned.

Corrin tossed her his canteen, and she drank from it greedily, water trickling down her chin and into the snow below.

"What a baby," he teased. "You know, Wyn and I used to run a few miles to the lake and back when we were only ten."

Kei wiped her lips and glared at him vengefully. "Yeah but you two aren't normal."

"You're doing great Kei," Wyn assured her. "Corrin and I had already been active for years at that point."

She managed a prideful smile as she swayed on her feet, eventually leaning up against a dead tree to catch her breath. "I just don't understand why you make me run at the end every time."

"Having better stamina will let you train more effectively in the long run, and this is a cheap way to build it up. You're already doing better than you were a few weeks ago. Plus, don't forget lesson one."

"I don't have to be faster than the bad guy, just faster than the other guy," Kei smirked.

"No, that's not—" Wyn gave Corrin a look, and Corrin suddenly found the mountains to his left very interesting. "Lesson one, if you can, just run. Alright, last thing before we're done, are you ready?"

Kei pushed off the tree and nodded. "Ready enough."

"Set your feet," Corrin instructed.

Kei got into a stance, right leg back, hands up. "Running, footwork, you know, I didn't realize we'd be focusing so much on my legs."

Corrin chuckled. "Don't get it twisted Kei, whether you are punching or slashing, everything starts with your feet." He kicked her leg weakly, and she held firm. He pushed her shoulders, checking her balance.

"So you've said, but it just seems counterintuitive."

"Maybe, but it's true," Wyn said. "Good footwork lets you control distance and stay balanced. And when you strike, the force comes from your core and legs. That matters less with a sword, but footwork is still king."

Corrin nodded. "If we were actually training you to fight, I'd focus even more on it. But this is about self defense. Your goal is to create an opportunity, and run like hell."

Wyn stepped forward, holding up a hand near his jaw. "So hit my hand, as hard as you can."

Kei winced, "again?"

"This is your sweet spot. You're unassuming, so if you're able to hit right here, really hard, then you'll probably catch them off guard. After that… well you'll thank us for all the running."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Kei held up her hands and threw a punch. Wyn caught it, hardly flinching.

"Too wide," Corrin said. "It should be more direct than that. This is a sucker punch."

She threw another.

"Don't drop your other hand, keep it up."

Again.

Wyn nodded. "Better, but when you're aiming your fist, don't aim for my hand."

Kei frowned. "Then where the hell am I supposed to aim?"

Corrin held his hand up behind Wyn's head. "Aim here. Punch through his hand, not at it—much better. Now a hundred more good ones for each arm, and we'll let you go!"

Kei's face fell.

***

Two hundred punches later, they broke for lunch. As they made their way back into town, Corrin was pretty sure he saw two girls scrambling away and darting into the streets, which was certainly odd.

I guess I probably do look pretty good while training. With that bump to his confidence, he walked with a little more pep in his step.

"Lilian and Jolaine said they wanted to eat with us," Kei said. "So we should stop by on the way."

"Really? She's good enough to get out now?" Corrin asked.

Wyn nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. "She's doing much better. At the rate we're progressing, she'll be cured by the end of the month."

"Just in time then," Corrin grinned and hit Wyn on the shoulder. "Great work man. That's got to feel good."

"Honestly I'm just relieved."

"Now if you can just figure out the focus issue, we'll be unstoppable."

"Explain that to me again," Kei asked. "It's still confusing."

"I can provide anybody with spirit fire now, right?" Wyn touched Kei's shoulder, and within a few seconds, purple fire lit behind her eyes.

"I can't get over how cool that feels," Kei grinned.

Wyn held a hand to his head and winced. The fire died out. "Sorry, your exhaustion is way heavier than mine. Not going to put up with that for a demonstration."

"Ooh do me do me!" Corrin held out his hand.

Wyn grabbed his wrist, and Corrin felt what little fatigue he had burned away. It wasn't enough to feel significant, but it was fun nonetheless.

Wyn let go of his wrist, and the comfort remained.

"I can keep the bond active as long as I focus on it," Wyn said. "But if I lose focus for more than a moment…"

Corrin felt the subtle ache in his muscles return.

"The bond goes away," Kei finished.

"The soul lets me in, but I'm still holding the weight."

Kei nodded vaguely. "The soul… right. What a weird blessing, and it forces you to have a bond? I've never heard of anything like it."

"Just remember to keep it a secret," Wyn reminded her, but Kei just rolled her eyes.

"Of course, I already promised Eia, didn't I? Where is she by the way?"

"She's just out exploring. She likes to watch other people and animals I guess. Says it helps her learn stuff."

"Huh, cool."

"So what do you think would happen if…"

They talked about nothing as they walked back to the house, where Jolaine and Lilian were already waiting for them in the dining room.

"Ready to go?" Corrin asked, leaning in the doorway.

Lilian was already making her way out the door, pushing past him on her way down the stairs. Jolaine on the other hand, took her time, but soon enough, they were on their way once more.

"So where are we eating?" Lilian asked excitedly.

Wyn shrugged. "Usually we'll just find a stall and—" he paused. "Hey Corrin, why don't we show them the stall you've been training at?"

Corrin met his friend's eyes and received the psychic message. He suppressed a grin.

"Oh, that's right. I guess I haven't taken any of them there yet. The food's great, isn't it Wyn?"

"Best I've had," Wyn said easily. "Personally I couldn't eat Phofi every day, but I must say now that I'm thinking about it, I'm craving some."

Jolaine, poor poor Jolaine, fell right into the trap. "Oh that's a wonderful idea! I haven't had Phofi in years! I don't eat out much, is there a stall that makes it well?"

"I'd say so," Corrin smiled. "At the very least, I can say that my master makes the best in town."

With the trap set, the gullible fools were all too eager to eat at Corrin and Wyn's chosen lunch spot. Sure, the maneuver might cost the two of them a few extra copper, but it would be well worth it, and they weren't exactly low on coin. Adventuring paid well enough, and they weren't paying for lodging.

They arrived shortly after at the plaza where Corrin's master set up shop. The man nodded as they arrived, eyeing the larger group. He was no doubt a bit surprised, as in all the time Corrin had been hounding him for lessons, he'd never seen more than two people eating there at a time. In fact, there were only four chairs, so Corrin graciously leaned against the counter and let the rest of them sit.

"Bringing me some customers eh freshie?" He nodded at Wyn, who'd been there before.

"I told them how good your cooking was," Corrin smiled easily. "Could we get a Phofi for all of them? Real Phofi."

The older man grinned. "Fantastic, I'll get that right up."

Since the pot was already simmering, all five bowls were prepped in only a minute as Corrin and Wyn distracted the others talking about their latest dungeon run.

"Here you are," the man set four bowls on the counter, and handed the extra one to Corrin.

"Thanks mister," Corrin grinned. He met Wyn's eyes as they each took a bite of their safe bowls, reveling in the satisfaction of sharing their suffering with others. First Corrin had shared his with Wyn, and now it was Wyn's turn to join in on the fun. After being on the receiving end of a prank, it was only natural to want to be on the pranking end next time.

Except, Corrin felt a tingle in his own mouth. Across the stall, Wyn's eyes went wide as well—he looked down at his bowl, then at Corrin.

Oh shit.

Next, Kei started to gasp, her face burning redder and redder as it hit her. Then Lilian desperately reached for water—which Corrin knew from experience wouldn't help.

In the moment before the heat hit in full, he turned to his mentor.

"You traitor…"

The man chuckled once, then started to laugh. His laughter boomed out over their groans of pain. "Don't dish out heat if you can't take it boy!"

Though he'd built up a bit of a tolerance, the unexpected nature of the heat slapped Corrin across the face, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

Kei was crying and yelling as she tried to fan her tongue with her hand. "I'm… going… to kill you two!"

It was hard to take the threat seriously while she was crying.

Wyn groaned, slamming his fist into the counter repeatedly as he tried to hold back tears of his own. "Damn it damn it damn it!"

Lilian seemed to have gone into a trance, simply staring up into the sky as she let out a long whine of pain. Corrin wasn't sure if the fog above her lips was her breath, or her soul leaving her body.

"...it's… good…" she tried, but she couldn't make it sound convincing.

As Corrin finally got his body under control, he saw Jolaine smirking at him as she spooned another bite into her mouth.

"This place really does have some good Phofi," she remarked. "Just the right amount of kick too."

Somehow, that stung worse than the heat.

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