The next day and a half was a mixture of waiting and training sessions that seemed to last far too long. Rob felt the day at work dragged by so slowly that it felt like an entire week. When he got home, he had to take care of his regular responsibilities, like taking his mother to therapy and cleaning up around the house. By the time he could log into Elysium’s training environment, it was nearly eleven o’clock in the evening.

That worked out well for Rob, as it was close to the middle of the day in the Elven city. He was able to train a bit longer with Alok and Riniya gaining another point of experience in both Short Sword Proficiency and Battle Tactics and two other levels in Combination Attacks. Since he’d only been in the game for two hours, he walked back to the hunter’s shack to see if there was any training he could get fro the hunter.

When he got there, Rob noticed a light from the small windows, so he knocked.

It was a moment later when Agis answered with a surprised look on his face. “Good evening, Rob. How can I help you?”

Rob looked at his in-game clock, and it was a little after eight in the evening. “I’m sorry to call so late, but I wondered if there was any training you could offer? I know it’s strange…”

“Please come in. Eletha is putting the children down. Join us for the evening meal.”

Rob hesitated for a moment, but Glen’s advice seemed to resonate in his mind. “Thank you, that is very kind.”

Rob ducked into the shack and was surprised by the size of the inside. It looked like the entire size of the exterior was taken up by the main room. If that were true, then Rob wondered where the bedrooms were located.

Noticing Rob’s confusion, Agis said, “I forget that humans rarely build their dwellings below the ground. The bedrooms are on the lower level. Actually, my home is on the side of a hill. There is an entrance on the lower level as well.”

“Sorry, I was just confused. I’ve never been in an elven home before.”

“So, I take it you were raised with your human side of the family then. I hear that humans are more accepting when it comes to half-elves.”

He hadn’t thought about a backstory. He never had to do it before in any other game, but answered, “Yes, I’ve only lived with humans. This is the first Elven city I’ve ever seen. I have a lot to learn about that side of my family.”

Agis just nodded and took a seat by the fire. “Join me. I can give you some guidance while we wait for my wife to join us.”

Rob and Agis talked for a while about hunting and the skills Rob would need to learn to become proficient with the bow. He learned that Agis had once been the bow-master for the city guard and was in line to take over as the training master once Vulman left his post, but had stepped down. Rob couldn’t get the reason Agis stepped down, but it all sounded mysterious to him.

After a while, Agis’s wife entered the room and said, “Oh, I didn’t know we had a guest. My name is Eletha. And you are Rob? My husband mentioned your name after you left the other day. I hope he hasn’t been boring you.”

“Not at all. He was just giving me some guidance for my future training. I’m new to these lands and am trying to find my way.”

She smiled and squatted in front of the fire, placing a heavy pot on a hook over the flames. “That is one place where he excels. He was once a revered trainer and gave it all up for some ridiculous reason.”

Agis blushed and said, “I gave it up for the best of reasons.”

She smiled and said, “Perhaps.”

Rob felt there was more to the story, but it didn’t feel right to pry. As they sat chatting and eventually eating, Rob felt more and more comfortable with the game and his experience. Eventually, they finished their meal, and Rob stood.

“I’m not sure when I’ll return, but thank you for your hospitality. I’m going to go train for a while and hopefully gain a level or two in Archery before people return in the morning.”

Agis walked him to the door. “Thank you for joining us. We rarely get visitors, especially ones from a distant land. It was our pleasure hosting.”

“The pleasure was mine,” Rob said as he walked away.

While he didn't receive any additional training for the archer, he was satisfied with their evening together and had a renewed energy after their meal.

Over the next few hours, he was able to add three additional levels to his Archery skill. He also gained an ability entirely by accident. At one point during his practice he wanted to see how fast he could shoot. He held two arrows in his draw hand and another he held with his small finger on the bow hand. It meant he could shoot three times in a row without going to his quiver. He shot three arrows in quick succession, and he received a notification:

Congratulations, you’ve learned a new skill!

Skill Learned: Rapid Fire

Level: 1 Beginner

Why shoot one arrow with poor aim when you can shoot three with even worse aim!

While he could shoot three shots very quickly, he noticed each shot was less accurate than before. The first shot hit in the second ring from the center on the target, and the third just missed the mark completely and landed in the dirt. He tested it a few times and found the effect to be consistent. Curious about the skill penalty, he concentrated on that skill in his profile and saw a notification pop up on his display:

Skill: Rapid Fire

Level: 1 Beginner

Description: Archer can shoot up to three arrows in the time it takes to shoot and reload a single shot.

Penalty: 30% decrease in accuracy for each additional arrow shot. As the level increases, the penalty is reduced.

By the time the sun rose, and people started joining him at the training grounds, he’d read through all the skill descriptions and had a better idea of their benefits and drawbacks. When Vulmon appeared, Rob had finished retrieving his last round of arrows and had put away the bow he had borrowed.

“Good morning, Rob. I see you’ve been practicing. It looks like you’ve learned a few things.”

Rob told Vulmon about his discovery of the Rapid Fire ability and how he’d leveled it and Archery during the evening. When he was done, Rob asked if Vulmon would teach him anything else. It was around six-thirty in the morning in the game, which meant he only had around four real-world hours left until Elysium Online went live. He’d promised to meet Sam and Juno in the central plaza for the launch, so he could train for a little longer and then nap for two hours before the start.

“I have something else I can teach you at this level. Follow me.” The old elf stood from his bench and walked toward the practice ring.

Robert was on his heels, and as they approached, Vulmon grabbed a practice sword and joined him in the ring. “You’ve learned the basic forms. From what Riniya says, you’ve developed some movement and are beginning to understand the balance between defense and offense.”

Rob nodded as the master continued, “While it isn’t particularly useful all the time, I wanted to see if you could learn another technique before leaving us. The king told us you’d have to depart for a while at the end of the day.”

“I’m not sure when I will be back, but there are things I have to accomplish.”

“It has been a pleasure teaching you for the brief time you have been here, and I hope you can return to us. Until then, maybe you will find a use for this skill. Come at me.” The master dropped into a low defensive stance and waited for Rob to attack.

Rob readied his sword and advanced like he was taught. He started with a diagonal downward strike that was aimed at Vulmon’s shoulder. He expected a block or parry but felt nothing at the point of contact as the old elf pivoted and spun his sword, wrenching the sword from Rob’s grip and following up the movement with a foot sweep that ended with Rob on his back unarmed.

“What was that?” Rob wondered out loud from his prone position.

Vulmon offered him a hand and answered, “It is the basic disarm technique and sweep. Technically, two skills in one, but you get the point. While I would never condone attacking an unarmed opponent, I have no problem attacking them after taking their weapon.”

“I see…”

Vulmon had him attack again and again over the next hour. At each attack, Vulmon pointed out what he’d done and had Robert go through the movement without resistance. After nearly an hour of practice, Vulmon called Alok over from the group he was training with.

So Alok couldn’t hear him, Vulmon whispered, “So, I want you to let him attack you. Don’t use any attacks, just attempt to disarm him.”

Rob did as instructed and attempted to disarm Alok as he struck. This resulted in Rob receiving a variety of strikes to his arms, legs, and torso as he failed to do the movement successfully even once. At the end of an hour, Vulmon dismissed Alok and told Rob to continue. He went through the forms and added the disarming techniques he’d just learned into his practice.

Occasionally Vulmon would bring one of the other fighters over and have Rob attempt to disarm them. It took him three hours of drilling and practicing to accomplish it once. The one time he was successful felt incredible to Rob. He wondered if he would ever feel that way again.

He continued training until mid-day when an alarm he programmed chimed to let him know he only had two real-world hours until the live launch. At the end of the training session, he had gained some additional levels in his skills. He had even received a single level in the Sword Disarm skill.

“Master Vulmon, thank you for all you’ve taught me. I hope to put it to good use soon.” He said, looking around the yard. “Please pass along my thanks to Riniya and Alok. I don’t see them, but I need to go now.”

Vulmon shook Rob’s hand and said, “It was a pleasure to help you prepare for your adventures. I will pass along your thanks. Be well and return to us someday.”

Rob walked away from the old master and the training grounds, pulling up his display and logging off to rest before the live launch of Elysium Online.