By the night, Shion asked the inn keeper for a map of the zone, if he had any.
The inn keeper was still weary of Shion, but not openly rejecting her as the first night she arrived at his place.
Shion studied the map, safest route, closest towns, and routes to the capital city.
She decided to head for Reka, a merchant town about 2 days walk from Trivale.
Shion assessed what she had: Cookware, bedroll, sharpening stone and some rope.
Seems like a good idea to go to the market before leaving town.
Getting some rations, water, and some weapon for Eren.
Speaking of which, how good was her training, truly?
Blinding the troll had taken courage—but courage was not the same as combat proficiency. Would be best to make sure.
Overthinking things won't help, Shion just goes to sleep, leaving the map open to hand it back next morning.
By the dawn, Eren is already waiting on Shion outside the inn.
Shion pays for the stay, and also invites Eren to have breakfast.
"We need to train before leaving" Shion states.
"Training?" Eren asked. "For what?"
"I need to make sure what you know about combat, and how much you can handle on your own" Shion replied bluntly.
Eren just focused on her plate, not responding much.
She nodded lightly.
Shion studied her.
The weight of Trivale still lingered in her expression.
There was nothing to say that would lift it—not yet.
After finishing their breakfast, they both headed to a local weapon shop.
The selection was modest: a few swords, several shields, axes, and a couple of lances displayed along the walls.
Eren chose a simple iron long sword—light enough for one hand, practical, unadorned.
She paid for it herself.
Then headed out of town. Same spot where Shion trained every morning.
"Ok. You can come at me however you want" Shion told Eren, assuming guard position, her great sword drawn.
Eren had doubts in her mind.
"No body is going to get hurt, I promise, just want to check how good your training has been so far" Shion reassured.
Eren nodded, she still had some doubts but was more confident.
She charged at Shion, her posture was not the best, clearly military trained, movements seemed mechanical, not fluid, like following a recipe instead flowing with the battle.
Shion had no issue blocking all her attacks with ease.
High strike.
Low cut.
Two horizontal swings.
A thrust.
Repeat.
Then the pattern repeated.
The training was not poor.
It was simply rigid.
Eren fought like a town guard—not like someone who had survived chaos.
"Enough" Shion said parrying one last swing "I've seen enough"
"Did I pass?" Eren asked lowering her sword a bit.
"It wasn't really a test" Shion chuckled "You're clearly a town guard. That's not a bad thing. But I doubt you've seen many real battles."
Eren's expression shifted, disappointment flashing across her face.
"Don't misunderstand me, you can improve with time and practice, but for now... " Shion does the same motions that Eren used, same repetition.
"Stand in front of me, probably you can also parry every single one" Shion told her.
Eren complied, reluctantly—but she wanted to prove herself.
Few guards were already amused at the scene, watching two women sparring just outside the town walls.
As expected, Eren blocked every strike with ease. It was simple.
She knew the pattern.
"See?" Shion lowered her sword "Your training was mechanical. Repetitive. Your friends over there probably never sparred one another outside a drill, that's why they will never improve"
The guards were still watching, unaware they were the subject of the lesson.
"You on the other hand, have the chance to improve, if you spar with me every morning like we just did, I can teach you how to adapt, and move, in an actual battle"
Shion made a few standard moves, swings, thrusts, back steps, even an overhead followed by a rising slash "It looks impressive" She added calmly. "But it's useless unless you understand how to flow with the battle."
Eren's eyes brightened slightly. Her overall expression was eased, less heavy.
And that was good.
Shion sheathed her blade.
"We should stop by the market before we leave. A few extra supplies will make the two day journey easier."
After getting what they needed, they both headed to the road, following the path to Reka.
Shion and Eren walked in silence for a several hours.
Not because they were unwilling to speak—there was simply no shared ground yet to stand on. No history. No familiar jokes. No easy subjects.
Even so, the silence was not tense. Not awkward.
Just peaceful.
Eren knew the surrounding areas well, but soon enough she started to see parts of the road she didn't recognize from her guarding duty.
Scouting the area was something common, but they were instructed to not go too far from town.
Orders were clear: never risk ambush without backup, even in pairs.
The weight on her shoulders eased with each step away from Trivale, not from neglecting the past, but knowing she wouldn't have to relive it every single day.
Soon, the sun started to cast long shadows.
"We should camp around here. We get some water. Then make a fire" Shion suggested, looking around for a clearance that could let them have some rest.
Eren never thought of sleeping outside.
"Don't worry, we can share my bed roll. I'll keep watch half of the night. You can take the second shift" Shion said playfully, as if it was still guard duty.
Eren wasn't laughing at the joke. It was too soon for her.
Shion caught it immediately. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"It's fine," Eren interrupted quietly. "I know."
They gathered some branches, dried leaves.
Ignited the fire and made sure it didn't die.
Eren went to sleep first, leaving Shion taking care of her.
Shion let her thoughts wander—her past, her infancy, her parents.
But her real parents… where were they? Who were they?
That question had always followed her.
That's the reason she became a mercenary, to get some coin during her journey. To find herself.
She gazed at the stars, and remembered her father teaching her about constellations.
The merchant.
The dragon.
The mother.
There were others—half-remembered shapes she could only recall after tracing the patterns slowly, like pulling faded ink back into focus.
After several hours, she nudged Eren awake and lay down in her place.
Eren was used to night watch.
Guard duty had rarely been exciting. Mostly dull. Long hours. Cold winds.
It was boring, mostly out of love for the town and the people.
Few joined expecting fame and power, most townsfolk knew what they were getting into.
If a war suddenly started, they would have been called to serve.
Not anymore.
She still had friends within the ranks. She still loved her family and her town. But she couldn't be there forever.
She had known that for some time.
She just never found the courage—or the reason—to leave.
Until now.
She tossed a handful of branches to the fire and watched the sparks, letting her thoughts to burn with them for tonight.
"No need to complicate things" She thought for herself.
Eren remembered the moves that Shion did during the spar.
She quietly unsheathed her sword.
Tried to mimic Shion's movements from memory.
The stance was imperfect.
But it was a start.
She practiced in silence beneath the stars until her arms grew heavy, then rested shortly before dawn.
By early morning, Shion woke up.
"Morning, did you sleep well?" Eren asked.
"About as good as you did before" Shion replied.
The bed roll did little wonders for the hard floor beneath them only cushioned by the grass.
They started their morning with Shion's routine.
Stretch.
Warm-up drills.
Calisthenics.
Sword forms.
After they both were done with that routine, they agreed to spar for a little while.
Shion took her usual defensive stance.
"Come whenever you're ready"
Eren did not hesitate this time. She moved with intention, showing the practiced moves she did last night.
Shion raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised.
She didn't expect Eren to use those moves, not this quickly.
The movements were still imperfect, edges rough and transitions slightly forced, but it was clear improvement from the rigid guard she had faced the day before.
"Alright, let's increase the tempo" Shion warned Eren, before starting not just parrying, she countered, pressured, forced her to react.
Eren was able to parry most of them, until one thrust stopped right by her chest.
"Aaand... You're dead" Shion said pulling her sword back.
Eren exhaled, half relief, half frustration.
"You did good for a single day" Shion encouraged her "You trained last night?" She asked
"…Yeah. I guess it wasn't enough." Eren said quietly.
"It was," Shion corrected. "But you still have to unlearn old habits. Formal guard drills won't carry you through real combat."
She rested the flat of her blade against her shoulder.
"You're doing better than you think."
Eren expression lifted, even a faint smile formed on her lips.
For the first time since leaving Trivale, it didn't look forced.
She was beginning to move forward.