Chapter 12 - The Great Forest

The next day went the same as the last. In the morning, Sylvie attended her daily alchemy practice, then headed alongside her brother Ballen to complete martial training with their Father.

She did the same physical exercises as before and then performed the same forms with the scimitar-like practice weapon so her Father could test her recollection.

After minor corrections to her form, her Father was satisfied with her performance. They had much shorter practice with it than yesterday, as Sylvie would move on to bowmanship.

Handling a bow was far different, though the overall mechanics of operating one felt easier and less complex than the numerous forms and footwork of handling a melee weapon.

Her Father, Yorik, brought her to an archery range where an assortment of bows lay neatly on a rack nearby. Though far less than the numerous weapons available at the other rack, there were bows in varied sizes, with some suitable for her stature.

When she approached a bow on the rack, her father handed her a typical bow given to beginners, which matched her size.

Observing it, Sylvie found it was a typical recurve bow.

The core and base of the bow were made of a mixture of different types of wood, each suited for various purposes. The bowstring was made of a tendon of an unknown animal; she had no idea the exact pulling force, yet she would categorise it as a soft bow.

Her Father directed her to stand opposite a set of targets that differed in difficulty. The ones her Father wanted her to aim for were traditional straw targets with markers set for her Father to direct her towards.

Yorik, her Father, stood beside her as she gazed at the target with determination, as he said, “Now there are far fewer steps and technical know-how in learning to fire a bow than to utilise the scimitar, though true expert bowmanship is not to be underestimated! We are renowned for producing expert sharpshooters and have the best archers in the lands; no army wants to attempt a siege with Wood Elf archers behind the walls.”

Her father's gaze turned passionate as he instructed her to the correct posture.

The following steps were relatively simple: Her Father introduced her to the equipment, describing each bow section. He then instructed her on the basic shooting technique, showing her the stance, draw, and release.

Like her Father said, the basics of handling the bow were less complex than learning to hold a melee weapon. Yet, Sylvie knew it would take constant practice to master it and gain the proper muscle memory to develop the accuracy and consistency of a trained archer.

Like that, her day soon passed with the bow, and soon enough, Sylvie once again went home, her Father satisfied with her effort.

Before she knew it, life went on, and the new addition of martial training soon became routine for her. Another two years went by swiftly, and Sylvie turned eleven years old.

Sylvie changed a lot during that time. She underwent a growth spurt for one, growing over half a foot.

She had also undergone significant physical changes. In conjunction with constant training and with the advice of her Father, with Haryk’s assistance, she brewed all sorts of concoctions to strengthen her body, gaining a healthy amount of lean mass. Though she had yet to lose her child-like features completely, she began to mature physically and was now in a period where she would experience rapid changes in the next few years.

Sylvie dreaded the thought of another puberty, yet Elves' maturation was far different from that of humans. Though physically they matured as quickly, if not quicker, their mental maturation was far lower. Elves do not even consider romantic relations until their fifties. Even when she would be fully grown physically over the next ten or so years, Sylvie would not be considered a proper adult until her first century.

Sylvie was glad to be free of such drama. Going through teenage romance again would be awkward when her mind was far beyond that. She was relieved to be free of these constraints for a long while.

Additionally, she had yet to form a friend group around her age. As alchemy is an independent occupation, Sylvie hardly has the opportunity to interact with others her age; instead, she grew up socialising with older elves, which suited her fine when she had an adult-like mind.

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Furthermore, elf children were on the low side compared to the population. Her family was a big oddity among their kind. Her brother Ballen and Lanren being so close together in age was already irregular, and adding her made it even stranger.

She had yet to awaken her core, which saddened her, but it was not irregular, especially for the bigger cores. Sylvie was also not quite strong enough yet to begin her martial training; she was a bit off the requirement to become an Apprentice, yet she progressed well. Though she was no genius like alchemy, with her traits being high, she was above average and would be faster than most Wood Elves her age.

It was similar to her weapon technique. She was reasonably competent and tried hard. Her incredible coordination and athleticism aided her, but despite her steadily growing skills in handling both types of equipment, she was no prodigious talent.

Sylvie expected that, knowing she had no specific talents invested in either, her Father would be happy with her either way. It did satisfy her to see Lanren complain about her being favoured as he grew jealous at all the time Yorik spent with her, only for him to last a full day at the training before giving up, moaning that being a Martial Practitioner is for lesser beings anyway.

Her Father scolded him for his comment. He spent too much time around High-Elf crafters with a superiority complex over everything.

Sylvie's alchemy knowledge also continued to grow rapidly. Though she was still far from being a Journeyman, crafting all those concoctions and body tonics for herself had enhanced her skill and experience. She was far better than two years ago.

However, Sylvie was mainly excited about these two years of hard training because her Father wanted her to accompany him and Ballen on a trip outside the city to the outskirts.

It was an incredibly undangerous zone outside Falamel, the outer perimeter where guardsmen and hunters regularly patrol and clear. It was practically non-existent in danger, with only minor threats like Iron Tusk Boars left for younglings like her to see for experience, yet it was still incredible for her.

Since that meeting with Faelar, which led to her martial training in the first place, they had no further encounters with the High Elves or Faelar, making her almost forget about them entirely, if it wasn’t for Lanren.

Her Father and brother were comfortable taking her out after such an extended period. Ballen was twenty years old and had grown even more, well above her father's height.

He was a well-regarded genius in terms of martial practitioners, and he was well beyond her talent. He was already nearing the Peak of the Apprentice rank and was viewed as a potential low-order martial practitioner before age twenty-two, which was highly uncommon.

Then, her Father finally came for her to take her outside the City.

“Are you ready, Sylvie?” Her Father said with a big grin.

“Of course! I’ve been waiting for ages to see the Great Forest!” Sylvie said with matching enthusiasm.

Her mother then coughed to grab their attention, saying, “Be careful! Only for a few hours, you promise that Yorik?”

“Of course! I’m only taking Sylvie because a full squad will be going out. Taking a group of trainees like Ballen, I convinced them to bring her, yet there are experts in this group on my level, so her safety is as secure as possible!” Her Father said confidently.

Her Mother shook her head at that, “It’s the Great Forest, never underestimate it, you know that!”

“That is why I need to take her out now. There is nothing better than doing it at this age. We used to take children younger than her, and it made them strong. I won’t let anything happen; this outer perimeter of the City is as safe as it gets.” Her Father reiterated as her mother relented.

“All right, fine. Now, both of you take care. Sylvie, come here!” her mother said as she embraced her deeply before giving her one last farewell.

From there, she left home, accompanying her Father. They soon met up with a group of guardsmen wearing similar uniforms. Her brother, Ballen, and other young elves, wearing outfits similar to his, also accompanied them.

She recognised a few of them from where she goes training with her Father and Brother; they even greeted her enthusiastically.

The remaining group members looked at her with complete neutrality or indifference.

One of the Wood Elves, a man who bore a similar stature to her Father, went up to him and patted him on the shoulder as he said, “Ready, Yorik? I see you brought another of your children. I thought you only intended to do this with Ballen, but it seems you have another talented child?”

Yorik laughed at the man as he replied, “She’s more a talented alchemist, Voron, yet she is plenty gifted to come out with us. Though, do us a favour: Let us introduce her to locations where she can find useful plant life for some common potions. It may help her out one day.”

Voron sniggered as he said, “For you? Fine. We can divert a bit, yet you owe me.”

Then, Ballen came to her excitedly and said, “Ah! I feel like a child again. I went out at your age and found it the best experience. I hope you appreciate it just as much as I did! Truly seeing and being among the Great Forest for the first time is an experience I’d give anything to see again. The protective enchantments around us do much, but they rob us of seeing what it truly means to be out there.”

Ballen had a dreamy look as he said that, and Sylvie only hoped it matched the expectation he had set.

At that time, Voron approached her with her Father and said, “Ready, young one?”

Sylvie looked back at him as she said, “Yes!”

She said it a bit too eagerly, making the others chuckle, but she didn’t mind; it was time to experience the Great Forest for the first time truly.