Making her own path

Chapter 8 - Target practice

Jian looked Aysha dead in the eyes, and it was clear to her that he was not happy about this, nor the fact that she had talked to him like that. She could feel how his alpha aura radiated off him, and the fact that he was trying to use that to make her cower in fear of him, made her stand her ground even harder.

“Alright let’s just all calm down,” Alpha James chimed in and stepped in between them and turned to Alpha Jian. “Jian, you know your kingdom is the only one that doesn’t allow female fighters, so there’s no need for you to act surprised that they have female fighters on their team.” Jian mouthed something unclear and backed off and James turned towards Aysha. “Just know that we won’t go any easier on you, understand?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Aysha said with confidence.

“Alright then. We alphas all agreed that we would like to see the overall strength of you, who are supposedly the top warriors of this kingdom. We were thinking of seven tests, the first one is target practice, and since we cannot go one on one there, we will see how everyone ranks. The other six tests are divided into human and wolf categories. In human form, we will spar, both with and without weapons, and half a kilometer sprint with a half a kilometer swim. Then in wolf form, we will take a 2-kilometer sprint, obstacle course, and sparring. Any questions?” James asked and looked over the crowd.

“We do understand that none of you have any rank, except for one of you who is a beta,” Zayne pitched in and gestured to Alex. “We do understand that it’s not going to be hard. Just remember, we are not here to only look at who wins or loses, but rather your overall ability. If our kingdoms are going to work together, we need to have an idea of how well you will fare in a fight. Since we do not exactly have the entire day to train, we have also decided to make it so each one of you will compete at least once with each one of us. Except for target practice like James mentioned before.”

Aysha knew that winning against an alpha was hard, if not impossible. But right now, the only thing she could focus on was how much of an authority Zayne’s voice held, without being rude or harsh. When he talked it was like he owned the room, field in this instance, and she found it hard to take her eyes off him.

 “I’m so screwed,” she thought to herself, and as he heard her, Zayne looked at her and gave her a small smirk.

“Matthew, is it?” Zayne asked Matthew.

“That fits.”

“Is there a last name?”

“We tend to go by the first name on the training field to make things simpler.”

“Alright, then Matthew it is,” Zayne said and nodded his head. “You’re in charge of training here, right?”

“I am.”

“Mind showing us what weapons you have for target practice?”

“Sure, right this way.”

The area for target practice was in a large pit shaped like a circle. On the edges were benches in three rows all around the circle, each a little lower than the last, and at the bottom was the area for practicing. They all walked down the steps until they reached the bottom, and Matthew walked towards the side where a pedestal stood with a light glowing orb floating on the top. He gently touched in and dragged his hand in an upward motion, and part of the floor rose next to him. It was a long wall, filled with different kinds of weapons used for training.

“That’s sweet,” James said, with a hint of amazement in his voice.

“One of my dear friends is a witch,” Matthew shrugged. “We managed to put this place together a few years ago.”

“And your weapons are all state of the art,” Zayne said impressed as he looked over the weapons on the wall.

The wall closest to Aysha had different kinds of bows, both regular, longbows, and crossbows, various knives, and even whips.

“You even have guns?” one of the betas said surprised, looking at the guns on the other wall. Aysha did not know his name, but she guessed it was Zayne’s beta.

Guns were not as common as they were during the great war. Mostly because all the machines and factories that made them were destroyed, also because the materials were hard to find. But guns had never been the most effective way to kill vampires, so people today did not bother making them, they were mostly for show.

“Even though they are hard to come by, we try to teach all of our fighters to use every available weapon, before deciding on one they want to master,” Matthew answered, and Aysha could see the impressed look on both Alpha James, and Alpha Zayne. Alpha Jian was trying hard to look unimpressed as he glanced over all the weapons on display.

“You have a most impressive setup,” Zayne said while he examined one of the throwing daggers more closely.

“Just wait until you try our training program,” Matthew said and placed his hand on the orb again. He moved his hand to the side and suddenly a large orange dome covered the area with benches and Matthew outside of it. He moved his hand again and the surroundings changed to a thick jungle, it smelled like it had just rained, and you could hear exotic animals in the surroundings. Matthew disappeared, but they could still hear his voice.

“This is the system that we designed,” Matthew said. Aysha could see the pride on his face as he watched the dumfounded faces of the alphas and their betas. “This is made to feel authentic, and when you activate the program, enemies will charge at you,” Matthew continued.

Suddenly Aysha could hear the bushes rustle, and she could also hear a faint growl. She crouched on instinct and noticed the other people from her kingdom did the same. The alphas and betas stood upright, waiting for something to happen. The beta from Yongyuan was the unlucky target of a giant jaguar as it jumped from the bushes. The beta shrieked and fell backward, but as soon as the jaguar went for the kill, it, along with the jungle, disappeared and they were back to the training area.

“Impressive,” Alpha James said.

“The dome around you acts as a barrier, both to create the environment you just experienced, but also to shield the spectators around the field. When you die in there the whole thing shuts down and it’s game over,” Matthew said, twisted his hand once more and the dome came down.

“What settings can you use?” Zayne asked.

“There are different levels integrated into it, and various environments, and you can set a set time or number of enemies. It is fit for a beginner and someone with extended training. It also considers your choice of weapon and tries to give you the best environment to use it effectively,” Matthew said thoughtfully.

“I suggest we go on the hardest mode you’ve got,” Zayne said and looked at the other alphas for confirmation when no one interjected, he continued. “Three minutes each to kill as many enemies as possible, random fields, using what weapon or weapons you are most comfortable with. If you die your time’s up, but your score will count.” He once again looked to the other two alphas, who did not object to his suggestions.

“Very well,” Matthew said and put the conditions into the orb. When he was done, he walked over to the wall and took the large steel whip and walked to the center of the field.

“In fairness, I suggest I start so you can have an idea how this works. Aysha if you’d please,” he gestured to Aysha, and she walked over to the orb.

The orb was connected to Matthew so he alone could use it to get the weapons and control the training program. He had given Aysha access to it for her training since she wanted to train more. She waited for everyone to exit the area, except for Matthew, then touched the orb and activated the dome, and then the program by moving her hand in a downward motion.

The field came to life and Aysha sat down on the bench behind the orb. The field Matthew got was a scorching desert and she could see his face already starting to form pearls of sweat. A timer appeared at the top of the dome and started counting down from three minutes. After only a couple of seconds, you could see the sand move and suddenly, black scorpions the size of a large dog emerged to the surface and lunged at Matthew. He started swinging his whip around him, and in each swing, he struck one scorpion, using every move effectively. Not one monster managed to get closer than three meters, and he did not slow down for a second as he lunged, jumped, and danced around the field.  As time passed more and more monsters were emerging, making it so that one miscalculated move would no doubt end in a loss. Finally, the bell rang, and the field disappeared.

Matthew took a deep breath, sweat dripping off his face from exhaustion and the heat of the desert area. At the top of the dome now stood a number instead of a timer.

Score: 36.

He had managed to take out 36 enemies in three minutes, and Aysha could not help but be impressed with her coach. She had only once taken on the hardest setting, and she pouted at the memory of only lasting for just over a minute.

“See, easy,” Matthew chuckled and wiped the sweat off his brow.

“Most impressive,” James nodded. “Let us all draw a number to decide which order we’ll go.

Everyone got a number, and Aysha sighed in relief when she got the number 11, making her second to last. She sat down as Matthew took control of the orb again.

The first one after Matthew was Zayne’s beta, who she now learned was called Jeremy. He had a tall lean figure, but still had well-toned muscles, and pitch-black short hair. He walked over to the wall and picked the crossbow. He took out a quiver and filled it with bolts and added a few in his pants pockets. He walked to the center of the field and gestured to Matthew that he was ready.

The field he got was a large dark cave. When the timer started goblins appeared in the holes all around the cave sporting spears and bows.

“What’s your go-to weapon?” someone whispered in Aysha’s ear making her jump.

“Sorry,” Zayne chuckled. “I thought you knew I was here.”

Aysha had been so focused on Matthew before that she had failed to notice Zayne sitting down right behind her.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Aysha said with a smile and turned her attention back to Jeremy, and she could still feel his eyes on her.

Jordan wasted no time and started shooting. He was managing well, right until the point that the goblins started charging at him. He tried his best to dodge but was eventually surrounded and pinned up against the cave wall. With too many goblins coming he lost focus and lost his footing. He fell on his back and only managed to kill one more goblin before one stabbed him in the chest. The cave disappeared and Jeremy laid gasping on the ground.

“It simulates pain?” Zayne asked Aysha.

“Yeah, it’s not overbearingly painful, but enough make you try not to get killed the next time,” Aysha answered while looking at Jeremy’s score.

Score: 21. Time: 2:05.

“It only displays the time you lasted if you die and can’t finish,” Aysha told Zayne.

“It’s an astounding device,” Zayne said and got up. “I guess I’m next in testing it out.”

Zayne walked to the field, just as Jeremy got up. They exchanged a few words and Jeremy rubbed his neck and sat in a seat behind her.

“Man, that hurt more than I expected it to,” Jeremy said and rubbed his chest. “It almost felt real.”

“Makes you want to try even harder not to get “killed” next time,” Aysha giggled.

 “That’s for damn sure,” he said, and they both turned our attention to the field just as Zayne walked out on the field.

He had put on a black jacket, and underneath it, she could see some belt strapped around his torso, from his left shoulder to his right hip.

“His choice of weapons is throwing knives?” Aysha asked Jeremy.

“That fits,” Jeremy nodded and the dome activated.

Zayne took a stance as his surroundings started to change. The training ground vanished, and he suddenly found himself standing on top of a cliff within the middle of a heavy downpour. Aysha watched as he took in his surroundings and took out a couple of knives. They were made from hardened obsidian that gave them their black color and had quite a simple design with only a little nick in them to distinguish between the blade and the grip. The only thing that made them stand out was the tip of their blades had a turquoise shimmer. Aysha recognizes them from the weapons wall, and they were also her favorite knives since they had excellent balance and were not too heavy.

The timer started and instantly gargoyles started appearing around him. Without hesitation Zayne started throwing knives into the air, each one hitting them straight in the heart. They crashed on the ground around him, and while he threw another dagger, his other hand reached to grab the ones stuck in the gargoyle’s bodies. It was like he was dancing around the field, not wasting a single move, and since he collected daggers from the creature’s bodies, he did not have to worry about running out of them.

Aysha could feel herself holding her breath in astonishment. She had heard about how the future alpha of Dalamar was a force to be reckoned with, and she could see that they had not been exaggerating one bit. The gargoyles charged at him, but he skillfully dodges him while throwing a knife at another, never missing a shot. Before long, the timer stopped and the cliff disappeared and Zayne stood at the center of the field, soaked from the rain.

Score: 47.

Aysha was not the only one astounded by the display that Zayne had put on, and she even saw Matthew with his mouth practically on the floor. He put the knives back on the shelf and walked back to the benches while taking off his soaked jacket.

“Did not expect the rain,” he said and sat down next to Aysha, with one seat in between. He ran his hand through his hair to get it out of his face and Aysha was thankful that she was not standing since she did not trust her knees to support her weight. His top was stuck to his skin since it was also soaked, and she could see the form of his chest and abs. He looked at her and Aysha looked away embarrassed, and she could feel her face turn red.

“Get it together Aysha,” she thought to herself.

Thankfully, he did not say anything else but turned to look at the next person down on the field.

---

Everyone took turns and the extra hard setting was giving many of them a run for their money. So far, the only ones that had managed to finish the three minutes were the three alphas and Matthew. Lisa, Eric, and Isaac had already taken their turns, with the first two barely managing to last a minute, while Isaac only had twenty seconds left before he was killed. Jian’s beta, which Aysha learned was named Wang, died in just under two minutes and Jian, who used a crossbow finished with a score of 41. Up now was James’s beta, Samuel, and he had only about twenty seconds left. James had used a bow and finished with a score of 44, and his beta was no less impressive with a bow as well. When the timer ran out the score on top read 37 and he returned the bow and sat down.

Now the only people left were Aysha and Alex after her.

“Now, let’s see what you got,” Zayne said to her, and she had a feeling that he was looking forward to seeing what she would do.

Aysha just nodded, stood up, and walked to the weapons wall. She thought about what weapon she should use since she has two favorites. She thought back to the last time she tried the hardest mode and how she had barely managed to survive one minute.

Finally, she made up her mind and decided to use both instead of deciding. She took out a knife belt and filled it with the same knives that Zayne had used, then she took a simple brown quiver with gold design, filled it with arrows, and grabbed a black bow with purple ends.

She walked to the center of the field and nodded to Matthew, who stood by the orb, waiting for her signal.

“I’m ready.”