Tales of the Pearly City (Pearly Tales Vol.1) [Completed]

31. Fight like a Pirate

When morning came, training began. Fauna had gotten over her shock and was more hands on with Naomi who needed the most help.

Tiki continued to heal Yvette during the knife play, and Calloway played with Ophelia as various animals. Whenever there was a meal, Alea took over Tiki's role as trainer while Tiki cooked. They followed this pattern for a few days.

On the fifth day Calloway took his trainees into the forest and he introduced them to natural herbology.

"This is Elf ear, a common plant used for health potions and most healing concoctions." He held up the green leaf shaped loosely like a pointed ear.

"This is a more common plant known as Thalmadiam, it can be found almost everywhere. It is only used by the most skilled alchemists or crafters for minor healing effects." He held up a plain leaf with two points.

"it is also infinitely cheaper from the markets and has a mild taste. When refined, it can have a myriad of other positive effects based on the process."

Yvette was intensely interested in the herbology where her sister almost fell asleep when Calloway started talking.

For the next week, Yvette spent part of the day hunting and mixing herbs, and knife training. Naomi practiced bow and sword play, and Calloway introduced Ophelia to sword play. Ophelia was a prodigy, she took instantly to swords, and soon anything he challenged her with, and he looked forward to testing her.

On the twelfth day. Calloway stood in front of them. They had shown remarkable improvement with the basics.

"It is time to introduce you to the three styles of fighting." Calloway said as he embodied an instructor in his pirate attire.

"First is the style of the knight, or fighting fair. It is an honorable way of fighting where you follow rules and patterns you seek out the most efficient way of fighting. Alea, come join me." Calloway and Alea exchanged blows with their sword.

"The second style is called tactical, you focus less on honor and more on the preservation of your life. You utilize your environment and anything at your disposal, and most importantly you utilize movement. Often used while putting a distance between you and a more power opponent of group of opponents." Calloway took the moment to run away, Alea chased him around trees and soon lost him. He reappeared in front of his trainees after tripping Alea.

"And the third style is fighting like a pirate. This is how you win, you use everything at your disposal, no trick is too dirty or unfair. You lie, act, and cheat. And you fight with all your heart, and when there is no way to win you don't surrender, you just take them with you."

He feigned as he charged at Alea, he let her knock the sword out of his right hand. Her temporary shock lasted long enough for him to step within her guard and headbutt her in the nose, with the sword in his left hand he simultaneously slashed at her right leg to trip her. Before her back it the ground there was a cleaver next to where her head landed.

It was over in a heartbeat as Alea's face paled at the cleaver inches away from her head.

"When playing games with friends and comrades you should always fight as a knight, but if your life is ever on the line you should always use the later styles. Your lives are too valuable to waste trying to fight fair."

Calloway finished speaking. And did rounds with each of them. He made each one fall flat on their face or butt. Surprisingly Ophelia put up more of a fight then Naomi and Yvette combined.

"That's my girl," Calloway praised Ophelia. "Alright, it is time for double the training, directly under me!"

However, they were only able to withstand Calloway's hell training for an hour a day.

** ** **

"Mmmm!"

Shayley sprawled out on her desk.

She was in the process of doing a mountain of paperwork. After Calloway had showed her Fenrir they had spent the day and night together as they busted their butts around the castle. She was now implementing some new policies to increase training, recruitment, and other military programs.

There was a lot of backlash from the deity party but after interrogating the assassin that had been after Calloway and Ophelia she didn't really care.

Shayley slammed her fist into the chair and cursed the deity party. They would halt the progress of the city against invaders and sacrifice her daughter-to-be for their crap. If fauna were here she'd have tracked down every single one of them and sacrificed them to the gods.

Which gods? She didn't care!

But maybe that was why Cal held on to her, so the Shayley wouldn't commit a scandal. Everyone looked up to Shayley for guidance and to Brother Calloway as a source of inspiration. But ultimately, the governing power had shifted to the nobles, if she stepped too out of line everyone would turn against her and Brother Calloway's following would suffer.

She grit her teeth and pounded on the desk again.

Damn those nobles.

They weren't here when Calloway set up the city, instead they just kind of rose to power among the immigrant parties. It was like some kind of foreign invasion except they pleaded fealty to her as soon as they rose to power. And it's not like they could really over power her and the council of elements, but a civil war would cause too many difficulties in the days ahead.

"Damn politics!" her vice grip in the table started cutting into the desk.

"Princess!" Clera sang as she slid into the room. "it was so cute when Cal, kissed you the other day."

Shayley's mood changed in an instant. "I know, I couldn't believe how charming he was."

Clera smirked as Shayley went on a word vomit spree about how dreamy Calloway was. It sure had been a lot easier to cheer her up since he's been around, she thought to herself.