Chapter 333: Steel, Breath, and Blood-Knowledge

Chapter 332: Steel, Breath, and Blood-Knowledge

The clang of steel rang through the training grounds, sharp and clean.

Trainees trained against each other, focused on their training in particular. Nia sparred against Micah, and she fought hard to hold her own against him.

Cat trained with Joren, while Dren trained with Laia. Everyone was focused on improving themselves. On being better.

Sophia too wasn’t left behind. She was better now, and her limbs didn’t hurt as she moved. And Orion didn’t take pity on her, training her like he had promised he would... brutally.

Sophia barely had time to inhale before Orion’s blade came down at an angle meant to test her reflexes, not her strength. She pivoted on the ball of her foot, the shortsword in her right hand rising just in time to meet his.

Steel kissed well—Skylur fangs—since her weapon wasn’t necessarily made of steel.

The vibration ran up her arm, but it wasn’t painful—uncomfortable, yes—but familiar now. Her wrist adjusted instinctively, loosening, letting the blade absorb the shock instead of her bones.

"Good," Orion said, already moving.

He didn’t give her time to relax.

His second sword swept low, aiming for her legs.

She jumped back, boots scraping dirt, then stumbled when her heel caught a shallow groove in the ground. For a heartbeat, her balance wavered.

Orion didn’t care, because he knew she would bounce back—and she did.

Sophia used her anchor steps to balance herself and then dropped into a roll, letting momentum carry her sideways. Dirt smeared her shoulder as she came up on one knee, sword raised just as Orion’s blade slashed through the space her head had been in.

She pushed herself up immediately, breath sharp but controlled.

Orion smiled at that, giving her only a moment before he lunged.

She met him.

Their blades collided again—once, twice, three times in rapid succession. Sparks flared where the blades struck, each impact ringing like a bell. Orion pressed forward, testing her guard, forcing her to move, to give ground.

Sophia retreated two steps, then twisted suddenly, letting his sword slide off her blade as she redirected it outward. Her second sword flashed up toward his ribs.

Orion blocked, but slower this time.

A flicker of approval crossed his face.

"You’re reading me better," he said, voice calm despite the fight.

She ducked under a swing and answered without hesitation. "I’m getting better."

He smiled—and used that second to switch tactics.

His foot swept out, clipping her ankle.

She went down hard this time, the breath knocked from her lungs as her back hit the ground. Pain flared, bright and quick, but she didn’t let it root her there.

Sophia rolled, pushed, and was back on her feet before Orion could capitalize.

Her blades came up automatically.

"Again," Orion said, and she got into stance immediately.

"What beast looks like a bunny—small, white, harmless to the eye—but preys on our kind and enjoys the taste of our blood?"

He struck as he spoke, a diagonal slash aimed at her shoulder.

She blocked, stepped inside his reach, and answered immediately, "The Virelop."

Their swords locked briefly, groaning as they did.

"It hunts in silence and in groups too," she continued, twisting free and slashing low. "It has soft fur and red eyes. It lures with stillness and moves only when you turn your back."

Orion parried, impressed. "And?"

"They drain slowly," she added, breath steady. "They don’t kill at once. They savor the kill instead."

He shoved her blade aside and kicked toward her midsection.

She caught the kick on her thigh, grimaced, but stayed upright.

"And if you see Virelops?" he pressed.

"There’s a high probability another beast is nearby," she said, spinning away from him and coming back in with a sharp thrust.

"Which one?"

"The Gravehart," she replied instantly.

Orion blocked just in time.

"It looks like a deer," she continued, voice clear despite the exertion. "Long legs, gentle eyes. But it has claws under the hooves and serrated teeth. It waits until its prey relaxes—then it charges."

Orion laughed, sharp and pleased. "Good."

He came at her harder now, both swords moving in a pattern meant to overwhelm. Sophia’s arms burned as she blocked again and again, the rhythm of it settling into her muscles. She missed a step, blade skidding instead of catching cleanly, and Orion’s sword nicked her forearm.

Not deep—but enough to sting.

She hissed, adjusted, and countered immediately, not letting it stop her.

She nodded and pressed forward, surprising him with a sudden burst of speed. Her swords moved freely now, no longer stiff or overthought. She flowed from one strike to the next, letting instinct guide her where technique ended.

Orion stepped back, reassessing.

"What do you do," he asked, voice steady, "if you find a nest with large olive-colored eggs?"

She attacked as she answered. "Run."

He barely blocked in time.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because it’s a Trihydra nest," she said.

He nodded, eyes sharp.

They circled each other, boots scuffing dirt, breaths misting faintly in the cool air.

Orion lunged again, this time faster than before, forcing her to retreat. Her foot slipped, and she went down on one knee, sword clattering briefly against the ground.

She didn’t panic.

Sophia rolled to the side, snatched the sword up, and came back up in one smooth motion, blade already swinging.

Orion blocked, then smiled.

"That," he said, "is improvement."

She grinned back at him, sweat trickling down her temple.

"What beast looks like an owl," he continued, "but moves as fast as an eagle?"

She ducked under his blade and spun, slashing toward his side. "The Noctyrix."

Their swords met with a ringing clash.

"It hunts at dusk," she went on. "Silent wings, hooked talons. It takes eyes first."

Orion’s expression darkened slightly. "And if you hear it?"

"You’re already late," she replied.

He laughed once, sharp and approving, then drove her backward with a flurry of strikes. Sophia blocked most of them—but not all. One blade slipped past her guard and knocked her sword from her left hand.

It hit the ground with a dull thud.

Orion didn’t stop.

Sophia dropped low, rolled, and came up on her feet again, snatching the fallen sword mid-motion and slashing upward.

Orion jumped back, just out of reach.

He raised both swords in acknowledgment.

"Again," he said.

They went at it once more, steel singing, bodies moving in a dance that was half violence, half trust. Sophia fell twice more—once hard enough to make her teeth rattle—but each time she rose faster than before, reading him better, anticipating the shift of his weight, the angle of his shoulders.

Her movements grew cleaner and sharper.

Orion pushed her until her muscles screamed, then pushed her a little more.

When he finally stepped back and lowered his swords, Sophia was breathing hard, chest heaving, hair plastered to her face—but her eyes were bright.

"I’m sorry I pushed you so hard," he told her softly.

Sophia grinned as she breathed heavily. "Don’t get soft on me now, you ogre," she told him.

Orion chuckled, then closed the distance between them.

"We both know I’ll never get soft for you," he told her with a wink, making her chuckle.

He gave her a look. "Meet with Rita. She’ll give you some herbs to help rest your bones and calm you down, but just in case that doesn’t work, you’ll probably get another remedy when you finish work."

Sophia stared at him suspiciously. "And what helps us that?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Orion grinned. "My presence."

He didn’t give her a chance to reply. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips, then made a face. "I like you, shorty, but you reek of sweat."

He knew she was going to have a comeback, and he took the coward’s way out, jogging out of the training grounds as he waved at her while she glared at him—although there was no heat in it.