The King of the Merfolk strokes his beard as he stares at me.
"My Oceans! You have grown quite a bit, Ling Yue. You'll probably be strong enough to fall through the coral walls and no longer leave cracks."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, I'm glad you noticed. I did put on a little weight."
It's more like double the weight. I need to be more careful now with this larger form. I don't know how I can make up for any damage. Plus, I don't want any of my elemental powers confiscated again. It's such a pain.
Long Fei plucks the cylinder from his sleeve and hands it to the King.
"His Highness sends his regards. I do have questions about the ancient scroll. She's been evolving in unexpected ways."
"Really? How so?"
"Before she became this form, she was in a three-year-old child guise. The 'unrefined' technique you taught her wasn't what I expected."
His Majesty withdraws his neck like a turtle into his shell.
"My apologies, Elder. That was only to help her learn the basics. She wasn't supposed to develop it any further."
"She tried using it on me."
I laugh nervously. That was a bad idea.
The King rubs the back of his neck, giving me a disappointed look. "The next lesson won't be anything like that, I assure you."
"I surely hope not. I will oversee her development this time, as well as your soldiers' drill."
"Much appreciated. You must be tired from your trip. I've arranged a guest chamber for you and I shall see you tomorrow for the drill and have my soldiers ready."
A servant escorts us to our chamber. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a long day.
***
The King has selected merfolk soldiers for me to train with.
Long Fei lines them up.
I wait 50 meters away from them, alone on the archery field. I start trembling as my instincts are screaming for me to swim away...
His Majesty sits on a higher platform overlooking the drill.
Long Fei stands next to the soldiers, standing tall and commanding.
"Soldiers, I heard that Ling Yue used you as target practice. Now it's time for you to return the favor."
Oh no! I didn't think he would find out about that. These are all the soldiers that I've spat on. They line up with their bows and arrows ready to shoot at me.
"Master, I only spat at their helmet, not on their skin. It wasn't a sharp weapon. They're using real arrows at me."
"Did she apologize to any of you?"
They all shake their heads.
If only my fins are long enough to cover my shame.
A soldier bravely swims forward.
"Elder. It's okay. She was young and reckless then. We don't take it to heart."
"Oh? I consider this training. Which would you prefer, a strike from her or me?"
He summons an air vortex in his palm. Wind swirls violently as his hair and robe billow back.
The soldiers glance at each other and then yell in unison.
"From her."
"Very well."
He clenches his fist, and the vortex vanishes. His hair and robe settle back into place as the ocean calms.
Oh tides! I'm in deep trouble now.
"How many times did she shoot at each of you?"
"Only once," they yell unanimously.
"In that case, I will allow each of you to use one arrow to shoot at her. To make it fair."
The King stands up and clears his throat. "Elder, it's all water under a bridge now."
"Your Majesty, do you want to take over?"
I don't know what look my master gives, but the King's face whitens.
My master turns back to the soldiers. Behind him, the royal mouths to me. "I'm sorry."
Long Fei raises his arm. Without hesitation, he announces:
"Soldiers, get ready. You're only allowed one shot. I would not be upset if you hit her, but I cannot guarantee that she won't hurt you."
Uh, it looks like I'll be skewered sashimi soon. I don't think I can hurt them back. The only one getting hurt will be me.
The soldiers draw their arrows from the sheath, nock their arrow, draw back their bow, and aim at me.
"Fire."
A wave of arrows flies toward me like torpedoes. This whale form of mine cannot move fast enough to dodge all of them. I'm going to die! I'm too young to die! Fear takes over, and a blast of air bursts from my mouth like a tornado as I scream. The water spirals chaotically, sending all the arrows in different directions. One arrow hits me but bounces off, not even a scratch. Oh, my skin has thickened, and those arrows were harmless to me after all. My master was just testing me again. When will he learn the difference between torture and training?!
Some of the soldiers get blown back, and others struggle to remain upright, holding their helmets.
The arrows go astray, one stops in front of the King's face. With a flick of his fingers, my master sends that arrow back at me. I yelp and spin to the side. I can feel the wind magic enforced around that arrow as I barely dodge it. He doesn't hold back, a hit from his arrow will not bounce off, it will be excruciating.
The King's eyes widen at the chaos of my reaction. "Elder, you gave her air elemental powers back?"
"Of course, it would be irresponsible of me to leave her with no defense, facing a sea of arrows."
He scans the damage in my wake and nods knowingly.
I don't know how much longer my tiny heart can take with this training regime.
"Soldiers, you're dismissed."
All the soldiers gladly swim away.
I want to swim away too, but I'm too afraid of the repercussions. It will be a maelstrom.
He extends his hand, palm facing up, then curls his fingers towards his palm. I cautiously approach him, hoping I won't get in trouble for all that damage.
Then, he gives a knowing nod to His Majesty.
The King stands and raises his hand, sending water ripples through me. He reads my level:
"Courage: Level 35
Elemental Power: Level 35
Physical Power: Level 35
Strategy: Level 30
Agility: Level 32
Speed: Level 32"
I want to do a little dance to celebrate my levels improving, but I'm just too scared to make things worse at the moment.
"Elder, given Ling Yue's level now, I don't think my Palace can handle her air blasts anymore."
Long Fei nods knowingly. Then turns to me and surprisingly pats me on the head. His intimidating persona melts away.
"Well done for staying put. It takes great courage to stare at a sea of arrows aimed at you."
I laugh nervously. I wanted to swim away but was too petrified to move.
"You usually give me a heads up when you give me a test. How come you didn't do that this time?"
"I did. I said to the soldiers that I couldn't guarantee their safety."
How is that even a hint? Oh well, at least I get a head pat from him, so no complaints here.
"Your Majesty, she should be strong enough to go on quests now. She needs to pay for all this damage. What do you think?"
But I didn't mean to. It was self defense! I survey the damage I've done, seeing a huge mess, the archery field no longer recognisable. I laugh nervously.
"That's a great idea! I can't say no to helping hands."
Yes! I can finally go on quests. That's the only way a whale can make money to cover the damages.