A Father's Duty

Mama Hawk went to the north of WoD, into the beach, working her way around Fiore. On the way, few fishermen were shocked and afraid seeing a huge green boar walking in the beach.

Noctis urged the chipmunks to sleep because they are not yet at their destination but didn't let Dimaria rest. He let Irene take care of the kids so that she could rest together with them since they woke up really early.

Noctis then called Dimaria to wear her training uniform and meet him outside as he summoned a wooden weapon rack in front of him. Wooden sword, spear, katana, scythe. you name it.

"First of all, before you start your training, pick your weapon." Noctis pointed at the weapon racks for Dimaria to choose from.

Dimaria was confused why his master asked her to but decided to weigh every weapon on her hand. She felt a greatsword is great for her but she wouldn't be able to lift up a real greatsword at her current strength so she instead picked up a cutlass.

"Now that you've picked up your weapon, come at me with all you've got." Noctis said as he picked up a wooden katana.

Dimaria ran to Noctis and sent a slash towards him but Noctis didn't dodge because he knew it was a feint. Dimaria used her agility and sidestepped to Noctis' right and she thrusts her cutlass to Noctis but he had already anticipated it. Noctis used the body of the katana to parry her thrust and immediately countered with a slash.

Noctis' slash hit Dimaria's shoulder and she felt the pain but she gritted her teeth.

"You've got a good idea of using your agility and feints but your opponent is someone who has far better mastery of 1 on 1 duels than you. Be more creative. Use your imagination to create your next moves." Noctis said as he waited for Dimaria's next attack.

Dimaria fell into a deep thought before raising her cutlass and once again ran towards Noctis. She used a feint again and this time she sidestepped to the left and sent another feint. Noctis didn't move because he could tell that there's no intent between her attacks so he could confirm that its just a feint.

Seeing Noctis not reacting, she sidestepped once more to reach Noctis' back and tried to attack him from the back. Noctis blocked the attack by putting the katana on his back.

"Too obvious. Choose a better move. Use your imagination to create an unpredictable move. A child's brain contains the peak of imagination, use that to your advantage." Noctis said to Dimaria.

Dimaria then circled Noctis once more. She sent another feint at the front and slid down Noctis' legs and turned around and thrusts her cutlass but Noctis used his front foot as a pivot and moved his back foot to the side and dodged Dimaria's strike.

Having nothing to cancel her momentum, Dimaria's attack forced her to move forward. Noctis then sent a chop to her head with his off-hand.

"You should know when to put power between your strikes or similar things will happen in the future. If I'm an enemy knight, you're already dead." Noctis said to Dimaria who was sweating after digesting her master's word.

"Master, you're simply amazing. I can't believe I can do those kinds of moves. I have only seen Alvares' kingdom's knights train and started mimicking their training and moves." She said to her master.

"Creativity is a child's strength. Use it well, for now. As you grow older you will learn many things and truths making your imagination not the same as it was. But that's what training is for. To compensate for the lost creativity as a child." Noctis said as he sat down and rubbed Mama Hawk's back.

"Repeating simple moves so many times, every single day, carving it into your own body to react even before you know it. A fight is not decided by flashy moves. Great mages don't fight using big flashy spells, sometimes mages could be defeated by using a simple fireball. Remember that and you'll not lose. And if you did lose, that means that there's still something you lack. As for what it is, only you would know about it." Noctis continued lecturing Dimaria.

Take his bread and butter move for example, thunderclap and flash, although it sounds flashy, its just iai at the speed of sound. There's nothing complicated about it. It would only get complicated after using other stances since its just branches of stances with thunderclap and flash at its base.... with speed at its very core.

"Now then, now that I know your current limit. I need you to start doing 5 minutes of stretching, 30 push ups, 30 sit ups, 50 squats, 30 burpees. 5 sets, 20 seconds rest between exercises." Noctis gave out Dimaria's physical training and she was shocked because after mimicking the knight's training, she could only do 30 push ups with mixed exercises for two sets only and her master wants her to do it for 5 sets?

"Get started!" Noctis shouted and Dimaria immediately scrambled to her feet. Noctis then taught her simple stretching techniques for five minutes. Dimaria then started doing the exercises and finished everything. She was surprised that she could complete all of those. What she didn't know was that Noctis used 'damage knocking' on her while helping her stretch out.

"Your physical training is done. Rest for a few hours. Go use these herbs, boil them and put them in a barrel. Mix some cold water in there and control the temperature yourself. You'll feel pain after dipping in the barrel." Noctis didn't give her the herbs he used in Gandora's first bath. He only used herbs that could accelerate healing the body as the knocking will be removed after she dipped herself in the concoction, also if he let her dip in Gandora's concoction... she would die. 100%, she would die.

Dimaria nodded her head and took the basket of herbs from her master and went inside. She had already explored the kitchen and she knew at least how to boil things.

Noctis on the other hand, stared at the mages and knights gathering in the perimeter of Mama Hawk.

"Tch. Trouble's already coming in hot, huh." Mama Hawk's walking pace was fast so he is sure that they are not from Fiore. Noctis then checked the map and realized that they are now in Bosco.

"HALT! THE MAN ON TOP OF THE BOAR. STOP AT ONCE!" A man shouted from the side. Noctis then immediately upgraded the boar hat's walls into soundproof. They might wake up from the man's shouting.

Noctis then made Mama Hawk stop and teleported from the top to the front of the man stopping him.

The people who saw that immediately raised their guard and sweated. They could see that he's a space mage and a strong one too.

"Why are you stopping me?" Noctis asked as he released his gourmet demon. The men watching the spectacle saw the demon coming out of Noctis' body. They felt cold sweat in their necks. Some of the weak ones already fled the area but the capable ones held on through sheer will.

"M-may I know... w-where were you p-planning to go w-with your m-mount." He asked stuttering as he was afraid of Noctis' presence in front of him.

"And why do you ask? Am I obligated to tell that to YOU?" Noctis said to the man.

"N-no... s-sir I o-only want to e-explain w-what is g-going on to m-my superiors." The man felt like there's a scythe hanging on his head. A single wrong move and he's dead.

"Where we go doesn't concern you. If you stop my journey once more, I'll take care of all of you. Did you get it?" Noctis asked and the man is scared stiff and he can't move his body.

"DID YOU GET IT?!" Noctis shouted and the man finally nodded his head up and down like a chicken.

"Now scram!" Noctis said and they immediately ran away with all their might as they can't believe they stopped such an unfathomable man.

"*Sigh* How many troubles are we gonna face in this journey? Just thinking about it makes me tired. *Sigh*" Noctis sighed as he forgot it and teleported back on Mama Hawk's back and urged her to start moving.