A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 472 The Grand Forest - Part 3

"I understand..." Blackthorn said, her mouth twisted. She seemed frustrated for some reason.

They heard the call of more goblins approaching. According to the map that Verdant had brought with them, in the area they were in, they could expect to find goblins primarily, and Black Wolves further to the west. In other words, it was a relatively safe space, since Black Wolves weren't that much stronger than regular goblins.

It was a group of ten that were coming in. Oliver didn't have his eyes on all of them, but he could still feel his whole group stiffen behind them. How odd for a man so often lacking in perception.

Pauline and Amelia fumbled with the long daggers that they'd had sheathed at their hips, and they held them out in front of themselves with quivering arms. Even Verdant shifted his spear into position, moving to protect the girls.

Blackthorn, to her credit, stepped out to join Oliver. She drew her rapier from its hilt. It was a beautiful weapon, with plated silver on its hilt. It suited her immensely.

"I'll deal with this lot, and leave one for you," Oliver said.

Lasha looked doubtful, even though she'd already seen Oliver deal with a group of five with terrifying ease. She heeded his command regardless. He'd made her promise that fact – that whilst they were fighting, she would obey his words like orders. He wouldn't accept responsibility for her otherwise.

The goblins came crashing through the trees, loud and excited. Oliver soon chopped into that excitement, along with two heads. With a single slash, he'd already trimmed away the momentum that the group had as they ran through the underbrush, over the crunching snow.

Two corpses fell, quieting the others. Their speed didn't fall completely, but their wariness shot up. That was the issue with using goblins as training material. They – for all their viciousness – were immensely intelligent creatures, far more able than others to discern the differences in strength between themselves and the enemy.

In a group, their morale was still firm, though. With three more swift slashes, Oliver cut apart three more goblins. He did not slow as he moved on to the final bunch of them. They could not even readjust their position as he waded in amongst them, his flow perfectly, and the momentum entirely within his favour.

"Easy, right?" Oliver said, joining her.

She gave him a stiff nod in reply.

"But different all the same. Like I said, training with a sword in the nice secure clearing at Verdant's place, that's all well and good, but it doesn't properly match the battlefield. It doesn't match the fear and the chaos. You've got more things to fight with than just the enemy," Oliver told her.

Again, she nodded, with far more understanding than she had when he told her the same thing back at the Academy.

"We'll do three next," Oliver said.

"Not two?" Lasha asked in alarm. Mentally, she'd been prepared for two, gradually working her way up.

"No, these are two easy for you. You slacked at the end there, because you didn't have any new opponents to react to. That's a bad habit if you build it up. You want to finish your enemy and free your sword as quickly as you're able. You never know what's going to be coming for your back," Oliver told her.

She relented, biting her lip, looking unsure of herself. Gods, he knew that feeling. His entire career with the sword had been a whole string of unsureness, of tests that he didn't know whether he'd be able to overcome.

"It's rough, I know," he told her, more quietly than before, a bit more understanding there. "Don't doubt yourself too much. You're going to feel afraid. Allow it to stay there, and you just focus on your sword. That's your training for today, learning to fight with fear."

"Was it the same for you?" She asked. She seemed unusually frail.

He nodded his assurance. "Worse, probably. I was a lot weaker than you when I had to slay my first goblin."