With the sound of metal lightly clinking against each other, I continued to remained hunched over my desk.  In front of me was an opened lock box with the vast majority of my money sitting in it, while slightly closer to me were small stacks of coins that I built.  Currently, there was a count of about a hundred gold coins that I withdrew, but before I transferred that amount into a small sack, I questioned if I should grab some more.  Not much longer after that, my ears perked up on the sound of someone stopping in front of my door and knocking on it.

“Tela?"  It was Darter.  “Can I come in?"

“Yeah, door's unlocked."

With the frame creaking open, the large tiger gradually made his way over as I could feel his eyes on me.  A sigh escaped him as he soon said; “I see you're still going to go through with this."

“We talked about this last night.  It's what I want to do."

“I understand, I'm just trying to look out for you.  You do know that this kind of work can be dangerous, don't you?"

“It's a risk I'm prepared to take."

“In that case, do you know how to actually fight?"

I quickly froze up after hearing him say that.

“That's what I thought.  Meet me downstairs when you're done."  Before Darter left, he turned back to me once more.  “By the way, you'll want to add an additional two hundred and fifty if you want to get some decent gear and supplies."

It took me mere moments as I rushed to get the amount the beastman suggested and store away the rest of my money.  Once I made my way to the first floor, I soon noticed that some of the tables were pushed back as Darter stood alone in the opening as onlookers glanced towards me.  With eyes drawing back to the tiger, he was casually stretching his arms as a tinge of nervousness struck me.

“All right, show me what you got."  Darter then presented his claws.

“Huh?!"

You're all muscle, what am I going to do to you?!

The tiger then lightly clapped a fist into his palm a few times; “Come on, just give me a few swings."

“Oh…okay."  I sighed with relief.

After taking a boxer's stance, I threw a couple of punches into the beast's hands as hard as I could.  Not long after that, Darter had me stop as he then gently grabbed me and shifted my body into the proper stance.  Following that, he then mirrored how I was position and told me to repeat after him.  The tiger took his demonstration slow as he showed me some jabs and then followed up with a few right hooks.

“While you can get a couple hits in, keep in mind that using this positioning, you can use your weak arm to measure the distance from your opponent in your jabs.  With your strength, a lot of your power will be determined in how much momentum you built up with your strong arm.  Try to keep that arm as straight as you can if you're going for a punch.  Now let me see your claws."

I relaxed my hand open as the tiger then started to rub the paw pads on his appendage against the tips of my fingers.  After that, he told me that if I was going to fight using my nails, that I should try swiping in various angles to both keep an opponent on edge and do as much damage as possible, that is unless I can keep the momentum on a focused spot.  Darter then disappeared for a minute, only to return with a barrel lid.  I was told to take a few swings at it as the tiger held it up like a wooden shield, to which I did.  I could feel my body start heaving as line after line was carved onto the cover.  After my final exertion, I was told to stop so the tiger could examine the results.  With the numerous cross-stitches I clawed on the wood, and seeing how my nails were still fine, Darter gave me a quick nod.

“Keep in mind that if you can grapple someone, you can deliver quite the wound or finish the fight with those."  He added before turning to the others.  “Now, if any of you want to help, consider your payments waived for the day."

“If that's the case, you can count me in."  A young cat beastman jumped up after a few seconds of silence.

Darter soon had the guy stand parallel to me as he made him extend his arm out.  The tiger then had me grab the other feline's wrist as he showed me a way to spin my grasp from an oncoming punch.  Even though we were slowly taking this step by step, I think in an actual situation, the movement would have a more fluid motion as I would then sidestep around to be behind my attacker while using their momentum to drag their limb behind their back to restrain them.  Following that, Darter then told the guy to throw an actual punch on my signal.  It took me a few tries to get the grab right, to which the tiger said it was okay since I could still essentially use the movement to parry a blow away from me, but once I finally got the armlock to happen, I could feel a sense of adrenaline and excitement well up in me.  With a small, but bright smile, I awaited the next lesson.

“Tela, I'm going to apologize in advanced for this one."

“Why…?"

“Because I'm going to demonstrate this one on you."

Darter took a position directly behind me to only bring his arm around my neck.  It was slow, but in that brief moment, the beastman's muscles started pushing into my throat as his limb was now clamped on me.  In just a few seconds, I lost the ability breathe as I started to panic and tried to free myself.  After that, Darter quickly released me as I stole some heavy gasps of air.  Once I regained my posture, I was then told to perform the same thing on the “assistant."  Both beastmen took turns to tell me the proper positioning as to where the person's neck needs to be so my bicep and forearm would be pressing down on them.  I think I eventually got it since the cat managed to squeak out the phrase “right there" as he patted me twice as if to signal to let him go.

“Okay, what's next?"

“If I may add something?"  The cat spoke up.

“If it'll help, then sure."  Darter responded.

“Okay, Missy, can you open your mouth?"

“My…mouth?"  I cocked an eyebrow.

“Yeah."

The tiger had a look of realization as he told me to go ahead.  I held my jaw open as the young beastman looked around.  He seemed satisfied as he pulled back and said; “Yeah, those are quite sharp."

“Okay, so what are you implying?"  I immediately asked.

“Your fangs.  If you can't use your hands, just chomp down on your opponent.  You could probably rip someone's throat out if you were aggressive enough."

Hearing that, I then ran a finger along my teeth.  I couldn't really tell if I could weaponize my mouth, but if these guys are saying I can, then I guess I shouldn't argue.  Darter then told me that this was simply some very basic self-defense that I could mix around depending on how I wanted to tackle a fight.  What he said after that, actually made me uneasy.

“All right, arms up."  He said as he gestured for me to use my limbs like a shield. “Tela, I want you to take control of a fight and restrain him.  There will be no prior warnings and you'll need to rely on your instinct on to act."

Both me and the other guy just stared at the tiger as the cat eventually asked him if that was a good idea.

“Don't worry, I'll stop this after ten punches each try.  You just aim at where she's blocking.  Understand?"

I didn't like it, but I guess I just had to be as ready as I ever could be as I took the stance.  I shallowed hard as I watched the beastman raise his fists through the tiny gap in my defenses.  The guy was quick with his blows, but from each impact, I could tell that the young cat wasn't throwing his full strength in his strikes.  Regardless of that, it still was discomforting as I finally managed to gauge his speed.  I wasn't ready yet to try and grab him, so instead I quickly shifted my body from side to side to avoid some hits.

“All right, enough!"  Darter quickly declared.

“You going to be okay?"  The other feline inquired.

With a sigh, I rubbed my forearms.  “Yeah."

“Tela, get ready."  Darter announced after my quick break.

As I focused down the guy, I could feel my heartbeats quicken as the first two punches came flying at me.  Relying on my instinct, I managed to sway away from those blows, but I didn't go for a grab since I didn't feel confident yet.  Following that, I kept my position as my limbs absorbed the next three hits.  Once the sixth swing came speeding at me, I finally went for the grapple, but unfortunately the cat instantly pulled back before I could snag him and threw another fist at me.  With the blow bouncing of my appendage, I could feel something deep down telling me when I should act, and that's when I realized what the moment was.  I then intentionally took the eighth and ninth hit, and once the tenth punch came at me, I broke open my defense and slapped his fist away from me using my right arm.  The world felt like it slowed down as I quickly snaked my hand around his wrist and into a proper grab.  As that was happening, I had immediately shifted my entire body to spin around him so I'd end up behind the guy while using my left hand to push on his shoulder blade to help me get into position.  From there, after directing and pulling his arm behind his back and essentially locking him, I swung my left arm around and hooked it on his neck as fast as I could, only to lightly squeeze it to keep the beastman restrained and not intentionally harm him.

In what was a brief moment, felt like a full minute to me as it finished.

With adrenaline pumping through my veins and me panting heavily has I held my sparring partner in place, my ears flicked up the small applaud I got from some of my audience.  I exhaled out some relief as the middle aged tiger nodded at me in approval while the cat cleared his throat indicating that I could release him now.

With my lips curling up, I approached Darter.  “So I did good?"

“You did."  He smiled back.  “Just keep in mind that an actual fight will be very different, so you'll need to react accordingly.  You'll gain actual experience from those battles, but I hope for your sake that you don't get into dangerous situations."

“Uhh, if I may add one thing?"  The cat beastman soon chimed up.  “Since you can use your claws and fangs as weapons, what about your tail?  Is it all for show?"

To humor the guy, I wiggled it around to only finish the demonstration of my control by producing a loud thud by slamming it on the wooden floor.  He honestly seemed a bit unimpressed and unsure as he judged my lengthy extension.

“You know what?  Try me."

“W-what?"  I soon wore a dumbfounded expression.

He pointed at his own tail.  “I mean yeah I could possibly make a loud sound if I accidentally hit my tail hard enough too.  So come on, give me your best."

I quickly switched to Darter, who only said; “This is all on him."

With a nervous exhale for this man's safety, I then positioned feet close together while my left paw was in front of the right after slightly twisting my body.  My twirl only took a meager second, but in my spin, I whipped my tail into the guy with enough power to launch the poor fool five feet away from me and crashing into the crowd of onlookers.  The beastman laid on top of those who tumbled down from him, rolling around in agony.

“Oh shit!  Are you okay?!"  I truly did feel bad for him.

“Looks like that's going to be the only time you get manhandled by a woman."

“Shut up, Bill!"  The cat groaned.

“I'll see if I can find a potion for the idiot."  Darter sauntered off.

After a couple of minutes of apologizing to the beastman and the few people that ended up being his cushion, the tiger gave the lesser feline a small glass bottle with some sort of blue liquid inside.  Darter reassured the cat that his payments will be waived for the day and was about to wander back into the kitchen before I caught him.

“Hey, thanks for this, but how did you know I can't actually fight?"

“That's because you fight like how I used too."  He responded.

“What do you mean?"

“I've seen the way you dealt with the people that have harassed you.  You get a dirty hit in and then rely on intimidation to finish them off.  Plus you've shown anxious relief each time they give up and leave."

“That obvious huh?"  I said turning away an embarrassment.

“I know you're the girl that killed Xander, Telaraya, but I'm honestly questioning how you did it?"

“Honestly?  It was a lucky accident.  I didn't know what was going on at the time and I panic stabbed him with a sword that was on the ground."

Darter coughed out a laugh as he looked at me in disbelief.  A few seconds after that, his eyes widened as he could see I was telling the truth.  “Wait?  Seriously?  I know that asshole deserved to die, but to simply die to an accident?  I…just wow…"

“I didn't even know who he was."

“Boy…my first impression of you was severely embellished."  He chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah.  Get it out of your system."

“Well it's making me wonder why you want to become an adventurer now?  Sure you can get your fair share of gold, but you may have to deal with quite a bit of strife depending on your contracts."

“…I guess I just want to know a bit more about me."  I'm not really lying, but I'm not going to tell him the full truth lest he worries about me.

“I understand."

“Thank you."

“Just to give you some words of advice.  Sure you can join the guild or fly it solo, keep in mind that an adventurer's life is what they make of it.  You could be looking for fame, looking to help others, or just seeing what the world has to offer you.  Heck, it could even be that the adventurer's life isn't meant for you, but that doesn't mean your journey was worthless.  You just have to take what you've learned to heart to find your true calling, which is why when you step out into the wild, you need to be ready for what comes your way."

From the tone of his voice, from his calm yet concerned facial expression, I could tell he's speaking from experience.  If I can return home or become human again, I don't know if I'll ever see Darter again.  We're still essentially strangers, mere acquaintances, and yet…yet he's willing to do so much for me.  Yes he's already done a lot for me in the short time I've been in this world by letting me live here and offer me a full time job, but I feel like I can continue to rely on him in the long run if I can't get my life to work out.  How would I ever repay him for this kind of generosity?

I don't want to let him down that's for sure.

“Well, I guess I could use some more practice before becoming an adventurer."  I chirped out.

“I can continue to help you with that, but just to let you know, it could take a while.  I still have to run my business, so I'd have to balance out between working here and training you if that's okay?  But if you're serious about becoming an adventurer pretty soon, you could find a trainer."

Thinking about it, I would be fine learning from Darter, but if I wanted to become an adventurer now like he suggested, someone did pop into mind.  Gerbera.

“I know someone that might be willing…Oh, and I'll still help you out for the morning duties.  It's the least I can do for now."

After helping getting things back to normal and deciding to go shopping later, I made my trek to my planned destination.  Upon arrival at the knight's base, I was quickly stopped by two guards at the front gate asking what my business was.  I was then told to wait a moment once I told them my name and asked for their captain, and after waiting about ten minutes, the familiar blonde knight approached me.

“It's a pleasure to see you, Telaraya.  How have things been fairing for you?"  Gerbera greeted.

“Well I've been able to get situated at a local inn currently."

“And your memory?  Anything?"

“N-no…But I have a favor to ask of you.  Would you be willing to train me?"

A hint of curiosity sparked in her emerald eyes.  “May I ask why?"

“You see, I'm planning on becoming an adventurer to see if I can find any possible answer on what happened to me, but the truth is that I'm not that good of a fighter in where it counts."

“Seriously?"

I nodded my head in shame.

“Well, that is something then.  I can see where you're coming from, but do you know what being an adventurer entails?"

“Sort of.  Which is why I'm coming to you for help.  It could even just be the basics you teach me and I'll be fine with that."

“And when did you plan to start all this?  Have you even registered with the local guild yet?"

“I haven't, but I was going to start everything as soon as I could."  I announced with determination.  “If you're too busy to help, then I understand."

Gerbera then glanced away from me and soon whistled at two other knights in the area.  Following that, she nodded her head in my direction and said; “If I am to train you, I want to see what I'm to be dealing with first.  You may get hurt."

I gulped, but knew I needed to do this.  “Do what you must."

“You two."  Gerbera turned her gaze to the soldiers as they approached.  “Fight her."

“Ma'am?"  A look of confusion overtook them.

“You heard me.  I want the two of you to spar with her."

I quickly raised my fists as the two knights looked at me and then back at their captain still uncertain.  With a quiet air that followed, it was quickly interrupted as one of them snickered at me.

“The dragonkin?  She looks more like a barmaid instead of a fighter."

The comment caught me off guard as my posture loosened up as I stared back in disbelief.

“What?"

“Hey come on, don't insult her like that.  She doesn't look that bad."  The other guy objected.

“Just take a good look at her.  This has got to be the Captain pulling a joke on us."

“Commander Cleary isn't like that.  I believe she honestly wants us to spar with her."

“Sure."  The first guy said sarcastically as he got closer to me.  “I don't know what you and the captain are trying to pull, but I'll go ahead and fight you.  I'll even let you have the first swing as a sign of good faith."

Under his breath, I could hear his friend mutter the word “idiot."

As annoyance welled up in my glare, I didn't put my full strength in it, but was still fast in connecting my fist with the jerk's throat.  With him recoiling back while struggling for air, I had already lunged forward at the other guy as he was distracted from the shock.  I figured with the iron armor the second knight wore, he'd be fine with this blow as I finished a quick twirl and whipped my tail into him.  Following that as he fell back, I then immediately hooked my arm around the neck of his companion and started to squeeze.

“All right, enough you three!"  Gerbera ordered with displeasure.  After I released the guy from the lock, the young blonde continued.  “Since you two didn't take this serious, you're on latrine duty!  Telaraya, you have my apologizes for that."

“…Well did you at least see what you needed to?"  I sighed.

“Well I could see you take advantage of a situation, but unfortunately no."  Gerbera responded.  “Private Ackman.  Escort Telaraya here inside and get her something she can freely move around in.  Once she's changed clothes, bring her back here."

A sense of unease still filled me, but once I noticed Gerbera removing her gauntlets and unhooking parts of her chest piece, dread started pouring into my heart.  I quickly followed the young man into a private room and was given a tank top and dark cotton pants to switch into.  Once I was done and brought back, I could feel a cold sweat form as a crowd of curious onlookers gathered round.  With an audience of all soldiers turning their attention to me, my focus was on their captain as she was finishing up some stretches.

“Are you ready, Telaraya?"  She soon asked.

I nodded and got into a boxer's stance, but instantly grew nervous since Gerbera's posture mimicked mine at first until she shifted it so both her fists were now opened palm.  Her left hand was outstretched and directed at me while her right was closer to her chest as the back of Gerbera's hand was facing parallel to the ground.  Even though Gerbera's left foot was positioned straight forward and causing her to lean back onto her right leg, she stood firm with a stoic expression anticipating me.  With that, I could feel the aura around her growing to be intense as I tried to shake my anxiety away.

Inch by inch, I made my way cautiously closer until we were just a few feet apart and to where I threw a left hook.  Gerbera effortlessly slapped my fist away, only to follow up with a quick blow to my right shoulder, then to the left side of my ribs, and ended it with a frontal kick to my gut.  After catching myself from stumbling back, my worry only grew as I noticed the young woman waiting for me again.  I soon lunged forward and tried to feint her in order to grab her left arm, but the moment I did, Gerbera instantly yanked me closer from the grapple as she threw her right elbow up into my chin.  Before I could fall back, shots of pain erupted on me as four fast punches pushed me back until my vision was quickly thrown to the side as Gerbera's foot finished swiping across my face.  After crashing to the ground and rolling onto my stomach, all I could do was wince as I tried to force myself up until I noticed a red droplet hit the ground.  It stung a lot as I brushed my arm against my nose, but seeing crimson coat my pink fur is what tried to break my resolve.  With a few concerned murmurs hitting my ears as I stood back up, I was about to ready myself, but instead recoiled back as the knight unleashed a volleys of kicks at me.  After being battered in my chest and face, I managed to instinctively duck under the sixth kick and out of fear and desperation, I immediately swiped my left claw at Gerbera.  She soon parried that attempt by punching right into my wrist and then responded with another follow up punch directed for my muzzle.  I jumped back to avoid the blow, but the moment I did, the young warrior had already thrust forward at me.  I retaliated by twisting myself around in order to whip my tail, but suddenly all my momentum was lost while a yelp escaped my lips as I was dragged back from my appendage.  For a brief second, I desperately clawed at the ground until my entire body was in the air as Gerbera swung me around and threw me a good seven feet away.  The way I landed, I was able to quickly stand back up after rolling, but my attention was soon directed downwards as I could feel my stomach get squeezed.  With two arms wrapped around my gut, my feet soon left the ground as my vision of the world turned upside down.  It was only for a mere moment, but from my current unusual view of things, I could see the crowd that was behind me until I was slammed almost head first into the ground.  As my body could feel Gerbera roll off away, I just stayed laying down as I slowly wrapped my arms over my face while my existence was screaming at me how much things hurt.

“Being an adventurer can be dangerous, and could even be worse than what you experienced here.  It's far safer staying here and asking for help.  Finding the truth of what happen to you won't do you any good if you die out there.  Is this truly what you want?"  Gerbera's words rung out.

“Yes!  I need to do this!"  I felt like I was about to cry as I screamed under my limbs from the pang.

I heard a sigh leave Gerbera.  “Fine.  I'll give you two and a half weeks.  I'll drill the basics of combat into you and test you at the end of it.  If you can last that long and succeed, I'll recognize your effort and wish to become an adventurer."

“Thank you…"  I sniffled.

“Help her inside so she can get treated and cleaned up."  I soon heard her order.

With that, I could feel the presence of a few people surrounding me.  Two humans helped me up as one of them wrapped my arm around his shoulders in order to support me.  As I was being escorted in, a beastman gave me a handkerchief for my bloodied nose as I could still feel concern and uncertainty from those around me.  All I could do now was mentally prepare myself.